Gray Skies
by otakufire1028
Summary: Kuroko, betrayed and replaced by Seirin and the Generation of Miracles, quits the basketball club, gets discovered by Musical Tendencies Records for his musical abilities, then disappears for half a year. After those six months, Musical Tendencies is now co-owned by a company which is unknown to Kuroko. What will Kuroko do when he finds out the Akashi Corp. co-owns the agency?
1. I am Shadow

Gray Skies

Summary

Kuroko, betrayed and replaced by Seirin and the Generation of Miracles, quits the basketball club, gets discovered by Musical Tendencies Records for his musical abilities, then disappears for half a year. After those six months, Musical Tendencies is now co-owned by a company which is unknown to Kuroko. What will Kuroko do when he finds out the Akashi Corp. co-owns the agency?

~Prologue~

You know, maybe some things just aren't meant to be.

I thought friends were supposed to be with you always. They were the ones who were supposed to support and believe in you. All the friends I've had always end up abandoning me. They always leave. This has happened three times already.

Maybe I wasn't meant to have friends.

The Generation of Miracles… You'd think they would stay, seeing how they're always so clingy to me, especially Kise, but they didn't.

Aomine… You'd think he'd stay? Well, no, you're wrong. He didn't. he was actually the first one to leave. The others soon followed.

Kise was the second. He called out to Aomine asking to play a one-on-one and just walked out the door. Guess who was left alone and forgotten?

Akashi had turned into a different person after a one-on-one with Murasakibara. This Akashi did not care nor had any need for me, the humble shadow.

Murasakibara had started skippin practices to eat his beloved snacks. And guess who was the trigger of this lazy behavior? Aomine, because he's the one who had started skipping first.

Midorima, well, he straight up told me I was no good.

I, myself, partially caused Momoi to leave. We had made a promise about getting Aomine to like basketball again. After the rest of the Miracles left, when Momoi asked about the promise, I lied and told her I forgot what it was about. I lied and made a girl cry. I really am a terrible person.

These so called friends were also the reason that I had lost my childhood friend. When we were younger, we had made a promise to play against each other after he moved away. He was in Meiko Middle School and we had a match against him. But I had gotten injured in the game before so I couldn't play against him.

The Miracles had toyed with my friend's team and fixed the score. They let Meiko score points against them.

My friend, Ogiwara Shigehiro, was heartbroken. When I rushed out of the infirmary to see him, his eyes looked as if they said 'How could you?'. He never contacted me again. I don't even think he's touched a basketball since then.

The skies were gray that day. That day when I walked to the park, I was soaked from the rain but I didn't go home just yet. I sang out my emotions, as I sat on a bench by the basketball courts.

When I got home, I had a fever. But guess what? No one was there for me. My parents are always working and have no time for me so I live alone.

I'll skip ahead since I don't feel like explaining.

I met Seirin. They were kind to me and appeared to care, but I was wrong. They left as well.

Starting with Kagami.

It truly is painful to hate something you love. I love basketball but I hate the way I have been hurt because of it.

I am Kuroko.

I am not Kuroko of Teiko.

I am not Kuroko of Seirin.

I am Kuroko, who was not cut out for basketball.

I am Kuroko, who was not meant to have friends.

I am Kuroko of Musical Tendencies.

I am Shadow and skies have always been gray around me.


	2. Betrayal

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basket or its characters. I don't own the songs used in this chapter either. I forgot the disclaimer on the last part so I hope this counts for that too.

* * *

Chapter One

"I was stupid to think you guys cared. Have fun with our kohais. I'm sorry for being so useless. Goodbye."

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko, now a second-year, was walking happily, though he didn't show it, to the gym. The sky was cloudy and gray, but it didn't bother him. He was actually quite excited. It would be the fifth week of practicing with their new members.

Seirin had gotten fifteen at the start, since they won the Winter Cup, but twelve chickened out on the rooftop, leaving them with three new members. The new kids were each on par with the Generation of Miracles and they just so happened to be the little brothers of them. Specifically Aomine, Kise, and Midorima.

Aomine Daisuke, Kise Ryou, and Midorima Shin had the exact same abilities as their older brothers, but they had different personalities and looks.

Aomine Daisuke, unlike Daiki, was not tanned. His skin was pale white. He had the same height and muscular build as his brother, though. Daisuke has the same short, blue hair, as well, but his was spiked up with hair gel. He was hard-working, diligent, smart, and was not a pervert. He was actually quite chivalrous. He has the top grades in his year and is very well mannered. He decided to go to Seirin because of their love for basketball and the fact that they had beaten his brother, who claimed that the only one who could beat him was him. Daisuke also didn't want to be stereotyped as the same type of person his brother was, which happened quite often. The students of Seirin, besides the basketball team, didn't know Daiki so that couldn't happen.

Kise Ryou had the same complexion and hair color of his model of a brother, but was a bit shorter than his brother, not that he minded, though. As he's seen how troublesome fans are by being mistaken for Ryouta, Ryou tries to play down his looks. He has long bangs that cover his eyes and serve as his shield from other people. Ryou is very shy and doesn't interact much with people. He rarely smiled. Besides basketball, he's very good at drawing. Ryou has average grades. He came to Seirin instead of Kaijou because he finds Ryouta very annoying and does not want to be associated with him.

Midorima Shin looks exactly like Shintaro except for his hair and glasses. Shin doesn't need glasses, though he'll occasionally wear fake ones. In all other aspects he looks like Shintaro. Shin styles his green hair to look like Natsu Dragneel from the anime Fairy Tail. He doesn't approve of Shintaro's Oha Asa Horoscope obsession, but he is an otaku himself. His favorite anime's are Fairy Tail, Blue Exorcist, and Kuroshitsuji. He wears a necklace with the Fairy Tail guild insignia on it every day. He's always excited to practice and smiles most of the time. Unlike Shintaro, his grades aren't that good, though. Shin came to Seirin because he didn't want to go to Shutoku knowing that his horoscope weirdo of a brother is there. He gets along well with Takao, though. If you had a weird brother, you would probably avoid him too, right?

These three had two things in common: their love for basketball and enjoying their brothers' losses. They didn't like how apathetic their brothers had become about basketball when they had been the ones to teach them how fun the sport was. They were quite joyous when Seirin had beaten them and their teams during the Winter Cup, thus teaching them a lesson.

The Generation of Miracles, however, had not changed their attitudes about basketball, but their friendships with Kuroko had rekindled. Kuroko was not giving up, though. Daisuke, Ryou, and Shin wanted to change their brothers as well. They had made a promise to change them back to how they were before their Teiko days.

Kuroko was eager to practice with his kohais knowing that they were the brothers of his friends. To him, it would be like playing on the same team as the past Aomine, Kise, and Midorima again. It'd be nice if the Generation of Miracles could play again as a team, fully loving basketball.

As soon as he stepped into the gym, his presence went unnoticed by the people inside. Again. He saw Hyuuga, Izuki, Koganei, Mitobe, and Kagami talking while shooting some hoops. He walked closer, but stopped when they heard what they were talking about.

"The first-years are really amazing this year, aren't they? I didn't expect to have the Generation of Miracles' siblings, though." Hyuuga said.

"I still can't believe Ahomine's brother isn't a ganguro." Kagami said, shooting from the free throw line.

"It's amazing how they all came here because they couldn't deal with their brothers, says Mitobe." Koganei said, peeling off a banana.

"They're gonna take our starting positions soon." Izuki said.

"We should take Kuroko off first. He's the weakest out of all of us. With Aomine, Kise, and Midorima, I don't think we'll even need him anymore." Hyuuga said.

That comment hurt Kuroko deeply. It was like he had just been stabbed in the heart.

"Good point. If it's best for the team, I second the motion. We already fulfilled our promise of becoming the best in Japan." Kagami said. "I mean, all he does anyway is scare us. What would we do if we had a heart attack? I don't need some freaky phantom as a shadow. Hell, I don't even need a shadow anymore."

Kuroko froze. 'What happened, Kagami-kun? I thought I was you shadow? Weren't you my light? What happened to being a team? Wasn't I your teammate? I'm really no needed, am I? I'm just a dead weight bringing everyone down.' Kuroko thought.

"Putting my defenses up~ cuz I don't wanna fall in love~ if I ever did that, I think I'd have a heart attaaaaaaaaaack~ I think I'd have a heart attack~" Izuki sang.

The rest of the boys laughed.

"Finally! Izuki's finally made a good joke!" Hyuuga said.

"If that's how you guys feel, then I'll leave." Kuroko said, turning his back to them. The boys were shocked and turned to Kuroko. "Izuki-senpai, I hope your jokes get better. That one wasn't funny at all. Sorry for having no presence. It's not like I can control it. Honestly, I thought you guys were better than this. I was wrong to think you were the type of people who wouldn't talk smack about someone when they weren't there. I guess that puts you on the same level as Hanamiya." Kuroko still had his emotionless expression on as he turned to face them. "I thought I had a place here, but obviously I don't. I'm only a burden bringing you guys down. I was stupid to think you guys cared. Have fun with our kohais. I'm sorry for being so useless. Goodbye." Kuroko walked away.

'I'll turn in my resignation form to Coach tomorrow. I'm sorry, Daisuke, Ryou, Shin. I won't be able to keep our promise.' Kuroko thought. 'Maybe I should just give up on them. They gave up on me so I don't see what's wrong with it.'

"I can't believe I was stupid enough to think anyone cared." He said aloud. And with that phrase, the tears fell.

As Kuroko walked, he passed by Daisuke. Daisuke stopped. "Eh? Kuroko-senpai, where are you going? There's practice."

"I don't feel well today so I'm going home."

"Do you have a fever?" Daisuke, being taller than Kuroko, was fast in catching up to him. He put his hand on Kuroko's forehead.

"I don't think so. I'm just gonna head home to get some rest. Please tell Coach I can't make it today."

Daisuke noticed Kuroko was crying, but he didn't say anything and just pretended he didn't notice. "Okay, senpai. I hope you feel better."

"Thank you, Daisuke-kun. Goodbye." Kuroko walked a few more steps before saying in an inaudible voice, "I'm sorry."

As Daisuke watched Kuroko leave, he knew something was very wrong. He took out his phone and called his brother.

"Hello? Nii-san?"

"Yeah, what is it, Daisuke?" Aomine drawled over the phone.

"Kuroko-senpai was crying today."

"What? Tetsu was?"

"Yeah, can you check on him? I think it must have been pretty bad if he was in tears. Just don't tell him I told you he was crying. Just, like, check on him, like, hang out with him to see if he's okay."

"Yeah, okay. I'll tell Satsuki."

"Arigato, Nii-san." Daisuke then hung up and went to practice.

~Gray Skies~

"Oi, Akashi, you there?"

"If I wasn't here, would I be talking to you, Daiki?" Akashi said on the phone. "What do you need, Daiki. It's rare of you to call me."

"It's Tetsu."

"What about Tetsuya?"

"Daisuke said he was crying today."

"…"

"Can you, like, plan a meeting to hang out or something so we can see if he's okay?"

"I'll send out messages to meet at Maji Burger." Then Akashi hung up.

~Gray Skies~

The sky was still gray, but it showed no sign of raining. Kuroko preferred this kind of weather whenever he went out to the park to play music. Once he got tome, he took his violin case and some music sheets with him then headed to the park.

He chose a spot under a tree to practice. Once he set up, he played Bouree, a piece from Johann Sebastian Back. In the middle of his playing, Kuroko's phone rang. He put down his violin and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Tetsuya, where are you now?"

"The park, why?"

"We're having a meeting at Maji's. I'll pick you up. Stay where you are." And Akashi hung up.

After that phone call, Kuroko packed up his stuff and waited on a bench. Within a few minutes, he saw Akashi walking towards him.

"Akashi-kun."

"I'll carry your case for you, Tetsuya."

Kuroko handed over his case, knowing that even if he refused it would be futile. "Thank you, Akashi-kun."

They got into Akashi's car and went to Maji Burger. Once they got there, they found the rest of the Miracles and Momoi sitting at their usual table.

"Tetsu-kun!" Momoi hugged his arm that held his violin case.

"Momoi-san."

"Tetsu."

"Aomine-kun."

"Kuroko-chi!" Kise took Kuroko's other arm, telling him to sit with him.

"Oi, Kise! Get your hands off Tetsu!"

"No! He's mine!"

"No! Tetsu-kun belongs to me! You can't have him, Ki-chan! Momoi yelled.

"Midorima-kun, Murasakibara-kun, domo." Kuroko said, ignoring the chaos around him.

"Kuroko/Kuro-chin."

"Satsuki, get off of him! If anything, he's mine! He's my shadow!" Aomine said.

That statement struck Kuroko like a lightning bolt. "Well, I don't have a light anymore." Kuroko said, bluntly.

Everything got quiet.

"What do you mean you 'don't have a light anymore'? Tetsuya, stop joking around." Akashi said.

"I mean exactly that. I'm not joking. I was kicked off the team for being weak. My position can easily be replaced by Daisuke-kun, Ryou-kun, or Shin-kun. I'm not needed. I'm only a burden." At that moment, Seirin walked into Maji's.

"Kuroko-senpai!" Shin yelled.

"Kuroko! Where were you during practice?" Riko asked.

Kuroko acted like he didn't hear her. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go." He took his violin and left. The Generation of Miracles saw something they swore never to be the cause of again.

Kuroko in tears.

"Oi, Kuroko!"

He ignored it and continued walking.

"Oi, bastards, what'd you do to Tetsu?!" Aomine grabbed Kagami by the collar.

"What the fuck, Ahomine? We didn't do anything. Are you sure it wasn't something you did?" Kagami retorted.

"If you didn't do anything, they why the fuck was Tetsu crying?!" Aomine threw Kagami onto the floor. "Why the fuck did he say he didn't have a light anymore?!"

"Nii-san, calm down." Daisuke intervened.

"How the fuck can I clam down when Tetsu is acting all weird?! He didn't even get his usual vanilla milkshake!"

"Daiki, listen to your brother for once. Nothing's gonna get solved unless you calm down. Let's follow him." Akashi ordered.

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko went back to the park and sat on a bench near the basketball courts. He started singing.

"I was broken  
I was choking  
I was lost  
This song saved my life."

'Even if the Generation of Miracles try to help me get over this, it won't work. It'll only remind me of how much they had hurt me in Teiko. I was abandoned. If they try, it'll only bring back bad memories.' Kuroko thought.

The words said after the Winter Cup replayed in Kuroko's head.

"You cannot change the way I view basketball, Tetsuya. Non can change me because I am absolute.'

'The only one who can change me is me, Tetsu. You and that Bakagami can't do anything about it. Why do you even care?'

'Kuroko-chi, is basketball even worth playing now? You get so serious over it but it's still just a game.'

'Basketball is just a game with nothing fun about it, Kuro-chin. You care too much. All your effort will just go to waste.'

'I follow destiny, Kuroko, and I believe it was written in my destiny to feel this way about basketball. If it wasn't, would I be feeling this way? Nothing good will come out of trying to change destiny, nanodayo.'

The generation of Miracles and Seirin were hiding in the bushes watching Kuroko.

"I was bleeding  
Stopped believing  
Could have died  
This song saved my life."

'Friendships that have cracks in them can never revert back to the original. The cracks will always sta. I'll only be left behind again. I can't let this happen to me a third time.'

"I was down  
I was drowning  
But it came on just in time  
This song saved my life."

'I was in over my head to think I had real friends that would never abandon or replace me.' Kuroko's tears spilled.

The generation of Miracles and Seirin were really obvious in their stalking, but Kuroko was too absorbed in his singing to notice. He switched his song as he finished it.

"Everyone knows  
I'm in over my head  
Over my head  
With eight seconds  
Left in overtime  
She's on your mind  
She's on your mind."

"Tetsu's good. I never thought singing could be his thing." Aomine said.

"Tetsu-kun is just amazing!" Momoi squealed.

"Why is Kuroko crying while singing?" Riko asked.

"Someone at Seirin hurt Kuro-chin~" Murasakibara answered.

"*Cough cough* Bakagami."

"What? Why me?"

"What Tetsuya told us does point all evidence to you, Taiga. What did you say to him?"

"I… Uh…"

"Kagami, just answer him, but it's not like I care or anything, nanodayo." Midorima said.

"Jeez, Nii-san, you're such a tsun-tsun."

"What are you saying, Shin? You watch too much anime."

Kuroko changed his song again.

"What am I supposed to do  
When the best part of me was always you?  
What am I supposed to say  
When I'm all choked up and you're okay?  
I'm falling to pieces.  
I'm falling to pieces."

"Shhh! Kuroko-chi's singing about you, Kagami-chi!" Kise whispered.

"Why is it me?"

"Because you started this shit, Bakagami!" Aomine whisper yelled.

Kuroko suddenly stopped singing and looked to the gray sky. "I was stupid to think they cared. No one needs a useless person."

The Seirin members that were in the gym when Kuroko first said that looked shocked. The Generation of Miracles and the rest of Seirin looked at them.

"Just what did you guys tell him?" Riko whispered ominously, while glaring at them. She took her paper fan out of her bag.

"We were just talking and we didn't see Kuroko come in." Hyuuga said, sweating profusely.

"There's something you're not telling us." Akashi smiled deviously while taking scissors out of his jacket sleeve. (I don't really know if he keeps them in there, but as another person with a scissor obsession, I keep them there.)

'So that's where he keeps them!' The rest of the group thought.

"Okay, so we were making a few jokes." Izuki included.

"And just what were the jokes about, Izuki-senpai?" Ryou asked. His voice was still monotonous, but it had a hint of anger which surprised Kise since this is the first time he's seen his brother concerned about someone other than himself or his family.

"Um… Well, you see… Erm, how exactly do I say this…"

"Okay, so we were talking about who would lose their starting position first, since you guys are really good and will eventually be starters. Kuroko's the weakest so we thought he would lose his first. And so what if we made a couple jokes about his presence? He probably doesn't care. If he did, he wouldn't she was used to being forgotten or not getting noticed." Kagami blurted out.

"So you basically told Kuroko he wasn't need and he could be replaced?!" Riko's eyes widened. "Bakagami! No wonder he's like that! Why would you do that?! Those of you involved in this incident, your training is doubled for three months." Riko smacked them with her fan. "No one on the team could ever be replaced. Why would you think that you could just replace him?"

"Tetsu may act nonchalant about his presence, but under that façade he really is sensitive about it." Aomine added, while glancing at Kuroko. "How much of a shitty, fucking idiot could you be, Bakagami?!" He grabbed Kagami's collar. "I thought you, of all people, wouldn't betray him."

"For once, I approve of Nii-san's cursing. How could you, senpais?" Daisuke asked.

"Kagami-senpai, Hyuuga-senpai, Izuki-senpai, I thought you were better than this." Ryou said.

"So not cool, senpais." Shin looked disappointed.

"Kuro-chin deserves better than this."

"Murasakibara-chi's right. What did Kuroko-chi do to deserve this?"

"Not that I care or anything, but Kuroko needs someone who won't betray him, who will be his support. At Teiko, we all kinda left him. He had no one to support him. We thought he had finally found that support at Seirin, but we apparently made a mistake, nanodayo."

"I was wrong to let Tetsuya come to Seirin. Maybe I should have forced him to come to Rakuzan with me."

"I'm really disappointed in you guys. Just when Teppei has to go back to the hospital, you do this kind of thing. He will definitely be hearing about this." Riko gave them a disapproving look.

"Ooh, the Iron Heart, Kiyoshi Teppei… I wonder what he'll do when he hears about this. He'll be angry for sure. Senpais, I wonder if you'll survive the wrath of Coach and Iron Heart-senpai." Shin said.

The three freshmen haven't met Kiyoshi yet since they just got into the basketball club so they decided on calling him Iron Heart-senpai.

The mentioned Seirin members shuddered.

"I honestly didn't think you guys would do that. Considering what he told us happened in Teiko and what happened today, he just can't take it anymore. His negative emotions are probably all coming back to him." Furihata said.

The whole group was sent into silence.

Seirin's second and third years looked shocked. They had forgotten how miserable Kuroko might've been when Ogiwara Shigehiro, his childhood friend, had stopped contacting him because of the Generation of Miracles. On top of that, during that time, the Miracles had left him one by one, leaving him all alone. They remembered how Kuroko, who usually never shows his emotions, cried when explaining the whole story to them the night before their game with Rakuzan.

The Miracles, even Akashi, and the three freshmen were quite confused. They had no idea what most of Seirin was talking about.

"What do you mean by 'what happened in Teiko'? Do you mean when we left him?" Akashi asked, genuinely confused, but hiding it under his usual poker face.

"U-uh… W-well…" Furihata started shaking. He was still rather terrified of Akashi's presence. Fukuda and Kawahara each put one hand on Furihata's shoulder for support. "Th-that was part of it. The night b-before our match with Rakuzan, Kuroko told us abo –"

"Shh! Mitobe says someone's approaching Kuroko!" Koganei whispered, while putting a hand over Furihata's mouth.

The group turned their attention to Kuroko. They indeed found a man approaching Kuroko.

"Hey, you're pretty good at singing!" The man said, smiling. "Have you ever thought about going into the music industry?"

The man looked to be about Hyuuga's height. He had pale white skin, black, messy hair, with long bangs that were parted so you could see his crimson eyes, long eyelashes, and a handsome face. His build was similar to Kise's. He wore a black t-shirt covered with an open red and black plaid flannel with dark gray skinny jeans. He also wore silver chains on his jeans and a black fedora with a single horizontal red stripe going around the middle of it.

"Thank you. And no, I haven't. I am Kuroko. May I ask who you are?"

"Ah, how silly of me to have forgotten to introduce myself! I am Aikawa Yuki. I'm a music producer at Musical Tendencies Records." He took a card out of his pocket and gave it to Kuroko. "Your voice is wonderful Kuroko-kun. It has this unique, calming quality. Do you mind singing again?"

"Not at all, Aikawa-san." Kuroko cleared his throat and began.

"Let me tell you something I've been thinking about for a long time.  
If we can go back to being friends, then I will ask for nothing more.  
As long as you're okay with it, I don't really mind.  
I, a liar, sang a love song with words contrary to my thoughts.

Today's weather is a clear sunny sky with a downpour.  
Yesterday I was making the best use of my time by being idle and free.  
It's not like I'm thinking about you or anything.  
Fine, maybe I was thinking about you just a little against my will.

The inside of my head is spinning,  
Just like a merry go round.

Since it's on the verge of spilling from my hands,  
Where should I throw away this love you gave me?  
I have no need for such things  
That diminish the more I use.

Let me tell you something I've been thinking about for a long time.  
You can't see its shape, but you can see the words.  
I feel frustrated by the fact that there are things I don't know of.  
Are my dangling emotions beautiful or dirty?  
I have no idea, and I don't have a place to discard them to.

I'll wait until I get to the bottom of the meaning of those words.  
Waiting doesn't sound like a bad idea at all.

Since you're still moving ahead while I've already stopped completely,  
What should I do to fill up the elongating space between us?  
I, an innate coward,  
Still can't use my words honestly.

Since it's on the verge of spilling from my hands,  
Instead of you, to whom else should I give this love to?  
I don't think someone else can be found so easily.  
Guess I'll keep waiting.

Is this good?"

"That was amazing, Kuroko-kun. Who is that song by?" Aikawa asked.

"I wrote it."

"You really have a talent there. You'd do really well in the music industry. May I have your number? I'd like to arrange an appointment sometime in the near future."

"Sure, but what for?"

"I'd like to sign a record label with you. Your talent would go to waste if it wasn't discovered."

"Ah, okay."

Kuroko took out his phone and put Aikawa in his contacts.

"Well, just call when you're free, Kuroko-kun. I have to get back to the office before my break's over. See you later!" Aikawa said as he walked away.

"Musical Tendencies, huh?" Kuroko mumbled. He then took his belongings and went home.

'Kuroko/Kuroko-chi/Tetsu/Tetsu-kun/Kuro-chin/Tetsuya/Kuroko-senpai got discovered?!' The large group thought.

Akashi stood up and dusted himself off. "Anyways, about what we were discussing, let's go to a more suitable place before Furihata-kun continues his explanation. Let's go back to Maji Burger."

* * *

Dear Readers,

Thanks for reading this fanfic! I hope you liked it.

The songs used in this chapter were:

Heart Attack - Demi Lovato  
Bouree - Johann Sebatian Bach  
This Song Saved My Life - Simple Plan  
Over My Head (Cable Car) - The Fray  
Break Even - The Script  
Ama no Jaku

Okay, so I am actually writing a song for this fanfic and I need some ideas for the verses. This is what I have for the pre-chorus and the chorus.

I'm not alright  
I'm not okay  
I wish I could forget every memory that hurts

You left me  
You've moved on  
But I'm still here  
You never noticed me  
When I was standing near  
Alone and forgotten  
Like I don't exist  
I still stand here unnoticed now  
Under these same gray skies

So if you guys have any ideas, please review or PM me.

Thanks again for reading!:D

\- otakufire1028


	3. Resignation

(**A/N:** Hey, guys. Sorry this took like super long. Anyway, I finally finished it. The songs used were Ghosts by Mayday Parade and I Don't Love You by My Chemical Romance. I own nothing.)

Chapter Two

"I accept your offer."

~Gray Skies~

As the large group which consisted of the Generation of Miracles and Seirin walked back to Maji Burger, the gray skies had become darker, and it started to rain hard. The ones with no umbrellas walked closer to the ones who did.

"I told you to bring an umbrella, Nii-san," Daisuke nagged as he opened his.

"Ah, whatever. Just let me get under yours."

"Satsuki-nee, you get under it too."

"Arigato, Daisuke-kun. Dai-chan, you're older so why aren't you this responsible? Honestly, I can't tell who's the younger one."

"Just shut up, Satsuki. We got enough to worry about," Aomine sounded exasperated.

"You're right, for once. I hope Tetsu-kun's alright." Momoi sighed, huddling closer to Aomine and Daisuke.

"I am fully prepared because I am absolute," Akashi said. Most of the group rolled their eyes at that comment.

"Nii-san, let me share with you," Shin said.

"Fine, but only because Mom would be angry with me if you got sick, nanodayo. It's not like I care, though." Midorima let Shin under his umbrella, which just so happened to be his lucky item for the day.

"Tsun-tsun."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Ooh, the weather is just like when a girl got stabbed with an umbrella in this anime, Another."

"Would you mind showing me this anime, Shin? It sounds quite interesting." Akashi had that devilish smirk plastered on his face.

"Of course, Akashi-senpai. I happen to like this one a lot. There's a lot of blood. I haven't finished the entire series yet, but I've heard there's one episode that involves scissors. Wait, that might be another anime. But the umbrella goes directly through her thro—"

"Shi-chin, you shouldn't give Aka-chin more ideas~"

"What was that, Atsushi?"

"Nothing~"

"Continue, Shin."

"What do you call it when it rains chickens and ducks? Fowl weather!"

"Izuki, do us all a favor and shut up."

"That one was pretty bad, Izuki," Riko agreed.

"What goes up when he rain comes down? An umbrella!"

"Izuki!"

"I'm happy Muro-chin made me take an umbrella with me~"

"Hey, Ryou-chi, lemme share with you."

"No, Nii-san. You're annoying."

"Hey, Midorima-chi, can I—"

"No. Go die."

"So mean!" Kise whined.

"Was there really a need to be so rude to Kise-senpai, Nii-san?" Shin inquired.

"There is always a need to be rude to Kise."

"Murasakibara-chi, ca—"

"No~"

"Why not?"

"Because you're too loud and energetic~"

Kise kept getting rejected until Kagami got fed up with his whining and let him share with him.

"Arigato, Kagami-chi!"

"Whatever, just shut up."

~Gray Skies~

'Alone again, huh? How many times has this happened to me? It's raining again. Just like the last time this has happened to me.' Kuroko thought as he walked home. He didn't have an umbrella since he only brought his violin and some music sheets. He ran home, not wanting to get his violin wet.

When Kuroko finally got home, he collapsed of exhaustion on the living room floor, leaving his violin and music sheets scattered. He had a headache and was breathing heavily. The pale boy couldn't find enough strength in himself to get up so he ended up falling asleep in his drenched uniform.

"Why am I all alone?" He mumbled before his mind went blank.

~Gray Skies~

Once the group had gotten to Maji's, they ordered their food and settled down. They had to push some tables together because their party was very large.

"Now that we've calmed down, Kouki will now continue his explanation. What did you mean by 'what happened in Teiko'?" Coming from Akashi, the statement sounded more like a demand than a question.

"U-um, l-like I was s-saying earlier, the night before our game with Rakuzan, Kuroko told us some things about his experiences in Teiko. I-it's really n-not my story to tell, though. I-I mean, f-for K-Kuroko's privacy, b-but that night, he cried. He rarely shows any emotion, but he was in tears," Furihata explained. On the last sentence, Seirin's chihuahua wasn't stammering or stuttering or even shaking, no matter how terrified he was of Akashi's presence, which just proved how seriously worried he was about Kuroko.

This did not go unnoticed by the red-headed captain holding scissors.

"Akashi, I'm curious too, but we really shouldn't pry on Tetsu," Aomine said.

"Aomine has a point there," Midorima agreed.

"You have me curious now, senpais," Ryou said.

"Ryou-chan, you should really get your hair out of your eyes. How do you even see through it?" Momoi parted his bangs so she could see his face. "You really do look like Ki-chan. If only you'd smile a bit more."

"Satsuki, that's enough. Don't get sidetracked. I suppose Daiki is correct, though. If Tetsuya decides to tell us, he will. We'll just have to be patient and wait for the right time. For the meantime, let's just wait and see what happens."

After Akashi had said that, and the heavy tension in the room had disappeared, the group went back to eating and doing the usual.

Aomine and Kagami had gotten into a fight about who would win at the next Winter Cup.

Kise, somehow, got dragged into their argument.

Midorima was shaking his head disapprovingly at their antics.

Akashi payed no mind to them and kept reading the book he had brought along while twirling his scissors.

Murasakibara continued eating, thinking it was a pain to have to interact with others.

Seirin's freshmen were in a discussion about Another. What Shin had told Akashi piqued their interest. Momoi and Riko had joined the freshmen, as well, being otakus and fujoshis.

Izuki was making extremely lame puns, with Hyuuga telling him to shut up, while Koganei was mysteriously in a conversation with Mitobe. No one really understood how he could interpret what Mitobe was saying without him actually speaking. Not even Akashi. The more they tried to understand it, the more baffled they got.

The three second-years, Furihata, Fukuda, and Kawahara, were just looking at their friends and acquaintances, amazed at how chaotic everything was.

After seeing how late it was, the large group consisting of the Teiko graduates and Seirin parted ways.

Akashi was the last one to exit Maji's with a mischievous smile as he thought, 'I have a feeling we will meet again soon, Seirin.'

~Gray Skies~

The next day, Kuroko woke up with a migraine.

The bluenette's uniform was still wet from the rain. He tried to get up, but found he had no strength to even do something as simple as that. Kuroko kept trying until he finally found the energy to pick himself up. He dragged himself up the stairs, grabbed a towel, then went into the bathroom.

He was so dizzy he had to brace himself by leaning against the wall. The bluenette thought a shower would help ease the headache so he set the water, stripped, then stepped into the warm water. A few minutes later, the headache had gotten less painful and he was able to think straight.

Flashes of yesterday's events were remembered.

'My team doesn't need me. Can I even call them my team anymore?' Kuroko thought. 'I'm useless. Seriously, there's no one in the basketball league that gets kicked off two teams. First, Teiko, now, Seirin.' The former phantom sixth man's tears fused with the warm water pouring over his head.

"How could I be so stupid?" The shadow said out loud.

He was so out of it, by the time he realized the time, he was late for school already. He got dressed as quickly as he could, grabbed his bag, then ran out the door, locking it behind him.

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. By the time he reached the school, his second class was already in session. He had to stop by the school office to get a tardy pass, as well.

Just as the secretary was about to give Kuroko his pass, he passed out cold and dropped to the floor.

"Kuroko-kun!"

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko slowly opened his eyes. He was lying in a bed and his body was sore. He took a moment to observe his surroundings. The walls were white, there were additional beds, and a few chairs placed next to the beds. He found his bag next to his bed. 'Huh? Why am I in the infirmary?'

"Oh, Kuroko-kun, you're awake," the nurse said, smiling.

"Sensei, why am I in the infirmary?" Kuroko said with his usual emotionless expression.

"You collapsed in the hallway when you were waiting for your pass. You don't need it anymore, though. Classes are already over. I believe the secretary marked you present."

"Is that so? Nevertheless, thank you for taking care of me. Sorry for troubling you." Kuroko slid his legs off the bed.

"No problem. It's my job. Are you feeling okay? You had a fever."

"Yes, I feel much better now."

"That's good," she said. "Do you walk to school?"

"Yes."

"I'll give you a ride home. I can't let you walk home with a fever."

"It's okay, Sensei. I can make it home on my own."

"I insist."

"I'll take up your offer then," Kuroko said, reluctantly. "It'd be disrespectful if I were to refuse after you insisted."

"Always the polite one, aren't you, Kuroko-kun?" The nurse grinned.

"Club activities should be in session, correct?"

"Yes, why?"

"I have something I have to give to the basketball coach," Kuroko said, as he took an envelope with 'To Aida Riko' written on it out of his bag.

"I'll have my student aid bring it to her." He handed the envelope to her. "Aki-chan, can you bring this to the basketball coach?"

"Sure," she said as she took the letter from the nurse.

"You can go home after this. I'll be taking Kuroko-kun home."

"Okay. Have a nice day!" Aki said as she left the room.

The nurse grabbed her keys. "Are you ready to go, Kuroko-kun?"

Kuroko nodded.

"Alright, then let's go."

~Gray Skies~

Seirin was practicing, as usual, but they were a bit distracted because of what occurred yesterday. None of them had heard from Kuroko, and they were worried. I mean, who wouldn't be if you knew that someone your friend cared for said something horrible to them?

The ones involved in the conversation about Kuroko were groaning in pain, seeing as their training was doubled.

"Stop complaining and keep practicing! This is your punishment." Riko scolded. "Do you want me to triple it?"

Just as they were about to continue, there was a knock on the gym door before it opened, revealing Aki, the nurse's assistant.

"Um, is Aida Riko in here?" She said.

"Yes, that's me, why?" Riko inquired.

"I'm the nurse's TA. She wanted me to give this to you." She handed the envelope to her. "I think it's from one of the students in the infirmary. The nurse is gonna bring him home. I heard he collapsed at the office and was unconscious for the whole day. It was weird. I never saw him the whole time I was there until the nurse talked to him."

"Oh, okay. Thank you."

"No problem." Aki walked out the gym doors, leaving Riko to read the letter.

A few minutes later, a thud was heard. Riko's knees gave out from under her and she fell to the ground, dropping the letter. Tears were spilling from her eyes. She covered her mouth to keep the sobs in, but the attempt failed.

Izuki was the first to notice Riko because of his eagle eye. He walked over to her, a basketball in hand. "Coach, what's wrong?"

"K-Kuroko..." She trailed off, weakly pointing to the letter on the floor.

Izuki picked up the letter. 'Kuroko? What about him?' After he read it, regret washed over him instantly. His eyes widened and the basketball he was holding dropped.

"Y-You guys! T-Take a look at this letter!" He stuttered out.

Seirin gathered around him and Riko.

Hyuuga snatched the letter from him. "What the fuck is this?" The basketball players looked over his shoulder to see.

The letter read:

Dear Coach,

I would like to resign from the team. I am obviously unneeded and useless. I will only drag the team down, as I was reminded by Kagami-kun and the other senpais. I can easily be replaced. My getting kicked off the team was probably inevitable so instead of getting hurt later, I'd rather quit now. If you would, please pass this to the rest of the team.

To Daisuke-kun, Ryou-kun, and Shin-kun,

Sorry I wasn't able to keep our promise. An unfulfilled promise is the same as a lie. I really am a terrible person, no? Lying to people who look up to me? You probably don't anymore, though. I can't proudly call myself your senpai anymore. Don't think it was anything you did. It's all me.

Dear Seirin,

I'm sorry for being useless. I'm pretty sure you don't need me. I hope you do well at the next Inter High. Don't try to look for me. I doubt you would, though. Even if you do, know that it's pointless. Please say hello to Kiyoshi-senpai for me.

Goodbye,

Kuroko Tetsuya.

After reading that, the whole gym went silent. No one dared to speak. A depressing aura filled the gym, and tears fell onto the hardwood floors, mixing with the sweat.

The only thing that Kagami, Hyuuga, Izuki, Mitobe, and Koganei felt was regret. They didn't even deserve the right to cry over this because they caused this. They were the ones at fault.

Kuroko was hurting because of them. They could see his emotionless face with eyes betraying his sadness in their minds. They remembered how sorrowful his voice had sounded when he was singing, not to mention how depressing the lyrics were. They remembered his tear stained face. They remembered how he cried and smiled the night before their match with Rakuzan. They knew how much pain he'd been through before from abandonment and they'd still done that.

They knew that they broke his smile.

The Kuroko they knew, whose smiles were very rare, would probably never smile again.

And it would be all because of them.

That day, the skies were a dark gray—the same as the day before. There were no sounds of balls bouncing or shoes squeaking. That day, quiet sobs were the only thing heard from within the gym. That day, was when five basketball players were angry with themselves for being complete jerks.

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko stood next to the nurse's Prius.

"Take two days off of school for your health. I'll notify the office. Okay, Kuroko-kun?" She said through the window.

"Yes, Sensei. Thank you for taking me home."

"Be sure to get plenty of rest. I do not want to see you in my office under bad circumstances again, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you for taking the time to bring me home."

"It's nothing. I insisted after all." She smiled. "Take care of yourself. See you later!"

Kuroko watched the nurse drive down the street and around the corner. He took out his keys and unlocked the front door once she was out of sight. After the phantom walked in, he immediately went to his room and flopped onto his bed.

He stared at the ceiling and sighed. 'Well, I resigned. Now what?' He thought. The shadow soon remembered the card given by Aikawa Yuki, the scouter/producer of Musical Tendencies. He decided he'd rest for now and call him tomorrow.

Kuroko changed out of his uniform and went to sleep.

~Gray Skies~

The next day, the entire Seirin basketball club was on the lookout for their shadow. Or should I say former shadow? After yesterday's events, the basketball club was incredibly shaken up, but there were a few that were affected more than the rest.

Riko didn't know how to cope with this. Since Seirin was the first team she'd ever coached, this was the first time she'd ever experienced having a valuable player quit the team. She knew it could happen, but she never thought it would happen to her.

She also had yet to contact Kiyoshi. What would he say to her, knowing that she'd let this happen? Would he be disappointed in her because the team he founded fell apart under her watch? Would he blame this on her because she could've prevented it? Would things have turned out differently if she had gotten to the gym earlier? Would Kuroko still be here? Would he still be able to smile brightly like he did after winning against Rakuzan?

If she had gotten there earlier, would any of this messed up shit have happened?

The seemingly invincible bonds Kiyoshi tried so hard to protect, even to the extent of taking an injury to the head, have cracked and shattered from the inside.

The other thing bothering her was Kuroko. What happened to him? Why would he just send a letter and not even bother to talk to her face-to-face? They were friends, weren't they? He was like a little brother to her. Did he consider her the same as the ones who hurt him?

Riko couldn't take how cruel it all was—to Kuroko and the others that were affected like herself, the Generation of Miracles, their brothers, and the rest of the Seirin members. It's just sad how he was betrayed after all his effort. What did he do to deserve this? All he ever did was try his best.

Just as Riko had been in shock, the three freshmen were worse.

They were completely distracted and spaced out during practice. When any of the second/third-years passed the freshmen classrooms, they noticed their inability to concentrate in class. Even Daisuke, who was very diligent, couldn't concentrate. Teachers, as well, were picking up on their distress. Three teachers have already talked with them. Daisuke was more distant from the class, Shin wasn't his usual cheerful self, and Ryou gave off a stronger depressing, gloomy aura.

Contrary to what Kuroko wrote in his letter, they didn't care about the promise anymore. All they wanted was for Kuroko to return to the basketball club. They wanted to play with him again. They wanted to receive his passes in an official game. He left before they even had a game with another school. It was so early in the school year.

The Seirin regulars were damaged. Damaged was the only way to put it. Hyuuga wasn't going into clutch mode at all. Izuki didn't make any puns. Mitobe wasn't talking. You'd think this wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but he didn't talk. No hand signs or anything. Koganei's usual cheerful aura was replaced by a gloomy one. And even Kagami had lost his appetite.

Kagami was sad, regretful, and most of all angry at himself. Just what had prompted him to say those things about Kuroko? He himself didn't even understand why he said it. Kuroko was the closest one to him. How could he have just done that after all they've been through together? He was so disgusted with himself. He was disgusted with the demon that possessed him when he said that.

The worse thing was: he felt the demon was still there. A part of him did think he didn't need Kuroko and that he was useless. Kagami didn't know why he was thinking this way, but he didn't like it one bit. It felt like another prideful personality that was split apart form his usual self. It was a bit similar to Akashi's.

The regulars all had the same thought: I shouldn't have done that.

During breaks, the basketball team got together to search for Kuroko, hoping to patch up and mend their relationship, but they couldn't find him at all. No matter where they looked, he was nowhere to be found. They decided to go to the office and ask where he was.

"Ano, sensei, is Kuroko Tetsuya here today?" Riko asked.

"Actually, no. He's on a leave of absence because he's sick."

"May we have his address? We would like to go visit him and bring him his make up work," Hyuuga said.

"Of course! How nice of his friends to want to visit him when he's ill," she said. That statement made the few at fault feel guilty. The lady wrote the address on a paper and handed it to Riko. "Here you go," she said with a smile.

"Thank you," they said, bowing.

The basketball team had one objective to complete: go to Kuroko's house and apologize.

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko sat on the bench at the park, his guitar case beside him. He had Aikawa's business card in one hand and his phone in the other. He was just about to call him, but he hesitated a bit. He didn't know why he was, though. There was no reason for it. Maybe it was just that he felt that this phone call might be a life-changing event.

He found his resolution to dial the number. The phone rang twice then the producer answered.

"This is Aikawa Yuki from Musical Tendencies. How may I help you?"

"Domo, Aikawa-san. This is Kuroko from yesterday."

"Ah, Kuroko-kun! Have you thought about what I said earlier?" he said, enthusiastically.

"Yes. I accept your offer."

"That's great! So shall we meet up to schedule your audition?"

"Sure."

"Okay, let's meet up at the café Chocolat Blanc, Vanille Noire at four."

"Okay. Where is it?"

"I'll send you the address by text."

"Alright."

"See you then!" he said then hung up.

Well, after that phone call, Kuroko put his phone away and took out his guitar. Might as well play for now. He strummed the chord that started one of his favorite songs.

"There's a ghost in my bedroom, it haunts me at night.

I've asked him to leave, but he keeps stopping by.

Just when I think that I'm alone, it shows up again with a friend this time.

And now this is getting old.

I don't know what to do.

Metaphorically, this ghost is you.

Now this ghost in my bedroom it gives me advice,

He promised one day that he'd teach me to fight.

Now when I think that I'm alone, he comes up my way with a devil's smile singing,

"This is now my home. You're my wish come true."

When you reach that golden cloud, I'll be there with you.

If there were monsters in the closet,

Well, I don't think I would be surprised.

I hear them call out from my window.

They try and trick me to come outside.

We talked all day,

I can't tell if he's real or a made-up version of her again.

Never alone 'cause I've got you.

Get this out of my head.

No I won't waste away my love onto something new.

If there's only one way out, I'll come back for you.

If I get stuck out there forever,

Tell everyone that I said goodbye.

You're on my lifelong list of wishes,

And I could bring you back, but we don't belong here now.

If he stays, well that just means I've got numbered days

'Til I go back to my little world where it's just me and my imaginary friends.

So go on, love, find a new direction,

hold my heart, keep it for protection.

And don't get stuck on your way.

The other side's a scary place.

Do your best not to be afraid,

Lose it all when we run away.

Letting go of the little things you know that I do.

There's a ghost in my bedroom, and he's dying to meet you,

God knows he's heard all about you.

I guess he's friendly enough though.

I'll see him more,

Always sneaking roses in your bed,

He's in your bed, says he won't let you down.

He will, he will, he will.

There's a ghost in my bedroom,

Ah, ah. _[x2]_

Softly, slowly how can I go down?

I want you to notice when I let go.

Softly, slowly how can I come down?

I want you to notice when I let go.

There's a ghost in my bedroom,

Ah, ah."

As he was singing, Kuroko was so absorbed in the music he didn't notice that he'd drawn a crowd. Applause surrounded him as he ended the song.

A little boy approached him. "Keep singing, Onii-chan," he said, a smile on his face.

Kuroko smiled back at him. "Of course," he said, ruffling his hair.

"Kosei! Where are you?"

"You better go. Your mother's looking for you," Kuroko said. "You shouldn't worry her."

"Okay. Bye, Onii-chan!" he yelled as he ran to his mother, who was looking rather relieved to find her missing child.

The crowd had dispersed by then, letting Kuroko pack up his stuff and head for home. He still had to look up the directions to the café on his computer since he didn't have one of the fancy smartphones like Kise. He walked home, singing along to the song on his iPod.

"When you go

would you even turn to say

'I don't love you

Like I did

Yesterday'"

He loved this song because it described how he was feeling at the moment. He wished his former teammates would've straight up told him they didn't need him instead of hearing them say it behind his back. No one likes it when they're talked about unknowingly.

To his surprise, when he went around the corner, he saw the Seirin basketball club at his door. He couldn't face them. Not after what had happened yesterday. But he really needed to get into his house.

The shadow activated his misdirection to avoid the eyes of the unwanted visitors. He quickly opened the gate to the backyard and entered the house from the back door. He sighed, wondering how they'd gotten a hold of his address. He put his guitar down and went straight to his computer, ignoring the knocks coming from his front door.

'Okay, so Chocolat Blanc, Vanille Noire…'

On the other side of the door, Seirin was amazed at how big Kuroko's house was. It was larger than the average Japanese house, but not as outrageously huge as Akashi's or Midorima's.

Riko was scolding the team for suggesting that they just break into Kuroko's living area. "No, you cannot trespass! Are you really gonna do that to someone that was just offended deeply?"

That shut them up, but, in addition to that, also made a gloomy aura overcome them.

"Don't get so depressed over it. Why do you think we're here to apologize?"

They brightened up a bit after hearing that. But just a bit.

"We're also here to ask him why he quit," she continued.

They deflated again.

"But our main purpose is to apologize."

They somewhat cheered up.

"Alright, then. Let's do this," Daisuke said, determinedly.

"I'm all fired up!" Shin copied from his favorite anime character of all time, including the signature grin.

"Yeah, what he said," Ryou added. He had a hood on and his bangs in his face, as always, but if you looked beyond that, which not many people did, there was something akin to a flame in his eyes.

They knocked but got no response since, from within, Kuroko was avoiding them, not wishing to speak with them, not even willing to face them, not wanting to get hurt again.

"I wonder if he isn't home," Hyuuga said.

"Well, he has to be. He's sick," Izuki said.

"'You think he's okay?' says Mitobe," Koganei said.

"I have no idea," Furihata answered.

Kagami was silent the whole time. He really didn't want to be here. Like, seriously. But he had to apologize. He just had to. He didn't want to leave until he did. Then again, he also wanted to ask him to come back. He was rethinking his actions and wanted to make it up to him.

Anyway, inside, Kuroko, who was still ignoring the Seirin basketball club, found the directions to the café, printed them out, then dressed up in clothes a bit nicer than what he was currently wearing. Instead of the white tee shirt and old jeans he was wearing, he settled on a sky blue, collared, button-down, short-sleeved shirt, gray skinny jeans that were slightly faded, and a black hoodie, sleeves rolled up, with a black and white striped wristband. He couldn't stop wearing wristbands even though he decided he'd stop basketball. They were a part of him.

So once he was ready, he headed out the back door with his hood over his head and walked away from his home Seirin. Once he was out of earshot, he said, "Goodbye," to no one in particular.

It was already 3:30 and the café wasn't reachable by foot in thirty minutes so he called a cab. When he got to the café, he went inside and found Aikawa waiting at a table. He walked over to him and sat down. Aikawa hadn't noticed him yet.

"Domo, Aikawa-san."

Aikawa turned to see where the voice came from. "Ah, Kuroko-kun! You're here already. When did you get here?"

"Just now."

"Oh, okay."

A waitress came up to them. They ordered then engaged in small talk. When their snacks arrived, Aikawa got to the main point.

"So, regarding your audition, tomorrow would be okay, right? Since it's a Friday, you shouldn't have school." He sipped his coffee.

"Yes, that's fine with me."

"Alright, then. What time would you like to do it?"

"Depends on how long it would take." Kuroko examined his peculiar vanilla shake. Just like the name of the café, the vanilla was black. When he sipped it, it tasted way better than the ones at Maji's.

"The audition itself would probably take about ten minutes at most, but if the higher-ups do decide to sign you, it would probably take a few hours to get everything organized for your debut, recording dates, and other things."

Kuroko nodded.

"Would nine in the morning be good?"

"Yes."

"Okay, then. Nine it is. Please prepare a song to play and sing." He smiled. "Well, I personally don't think you'd have a problem with that since you already write songs."

Kuroko looked at him as he drank his weird black vanilla shake that tasted oddly appetizing.

"I'm pretty sure they would sign you so you'd need a manager. We can assign you one, but if you have someone in mind we can train them to do it," he explained.

Momoi entered his mind for a moment. "Hmm…" He could ask her to do it for him. She'd get paid… probably. But the question is would she want to do it? She'd have to keep up with her studies and managing Touo's basketball team as w

"Have you thought of anyone?"

"One person, but I don't know if she'd want to do it. I have to call her."

"If she's interested, go ahead an bring her with you tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Well, I've gotta run. There's a faculty meeting in thirty."

"Thanks for taking time to meet me."

"Same here," he said, smiling. "Well, see you tomorrow." He walked away, briskly.

Kuroko sighed. 'Well, guess I better call Momoi-san.' He took his weird vanilla shake and left the premise of the café.


	4. Audition

Chapter Three

"I am Shadow."

~Gray Skies~

"Hello? Momoi-san?"

Momoi didn't recognize the number so she was surprised when she heard his voice. "Tetsu-kun?"

"Before you say anything else, is Aomine-kun with you?"

"No, he actually went to practice today. I'm filing the team's freshmen stats so I'm not in the gym with him."

"Okay. Can you meet me at the shopping center later at six?"

"Eh? Okay, but why?"

"I have something I need to discuss with you. Please come alone and tell no one about this meeting."

"Okay. Ne, can I consider this a date?" she asked, excitedly.

Kuroko could imagine her smiling with sparkling eyes, which was, though he couldn't see her, actually happening. It put a small smile on his face. "Sure, why not?"

He heard her squeal over the phone. "Alright! See you then!"

Momoi ended the call and filed as fast as she could. She really wanted to see him after what had happened at Maji's the other day. She at least wanted to know if he was okay. She'd decided if he wasn't, she'd be his support.

"Oh, Momoi, are you going somewhere? You seem like you're in a hurry," Touo's coach, Harasawa Katsunori, asked.

"Yeah, I have a date tonight," she said, putting the papers together in stacks then placing them in the file box.

"Oh, is that so?" He smiled, thinking about how nice it must be to be young and in love. "Since that's the case, you can leave early."

"Eh? Really?"

"Yeah, why not? You still have to get ready and look nice for your boyfriend."

She blushed at the thought of Kuroko being her boyfriend. Oh, how she wished it were true. "Are you sure that's okay?"

"Yes, go ahead and leave the papers where they are. You can finish on Monday."

"Thanks, Coach!" Momoi gathered her stuff and ran out the door, beaming.

"Kids, these days," Harasawa sighed. He was a bit surprised, though. He'd certainly thought she'd end up dating her childhood friend. Oh, well. Things don't always work out as expected.

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko spotted Momoi the moment she walked into the shopping center. He was sure she wouldn't see him so he walked up and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Good evening, Momoi-san."

She turned around and hugged him. "Tetsu-kun!"

"You look nice," he complimented. She was wearing a white blouse paired with a pink skirt and black flats and had her hair braided into a fishtail, which was placed over her shoulder.

Momoi didn't want to overdress like she had that other time she had a date with him (referring to that one moment in the manga where she dressed up way too formally and Aomine and Kagami spied on them), but the time she spent fixing herself up was totally worth the compliment.

She blushed.

"Have you eaten yet? We can go get dinner."

"Maji's?"

"We can go there if you like, but I'd rather go somewhere we wouldn't see the others by coincidence."

"Okay, then. Hmm… How about ramen?"

Kuroko smiled. "That's fine by me." He liked how Momoi was frank about what she wanted unlike those girls who ignored what they wanted to try to look cute. He didn't like fakers.

They walked to the ramen restaurant and ordered two bowls. While they waited for food, Kuroko decided he'd tell Momoi of his situation.

"Ano, Momoi-san? I have a proposal for you."

"Eh?! Proposal?!" Her face turned red.

"Not that kind. So the other day, I was offered an audition from Musical Tendencies Records." Momoi remembered that one guy with the fedora then realized Kuroko didn't know they were spying on him. "If I pass the audition, then I sign a record label with them."

"Eh? That's amazing!"

"I guess, but, anyway, if they do sign me, they asked if I had anyone in mind to be my manager. So would you like to do it?"

She jumped up. "Yes!" she said a bit too loudly, startling the waiter who almost dropped their food and gaining the stares of the people around them. She sat down sheepishly.

The waiter set their food in front of them. "Enjoy your food," he said.

Kuroko and Momoi thanked him then continued on with their conversation.

"Momoi-san, before you say yes, I also want you to consider how hard this would be. If you were to do this, you'd also have to keep up with your studies and fulfill your club duties, as well. Would you be able to do that? You'd be really busy. I don't want to dump something like this on you unless I know you can handle it."

"I can."

Kuroko liked the determination in her eyes. "Alright, then." He smiled. "It all depends on if your parents will let you."

She smiled. "I'm sure they'll agree."

"I'll walk you home later. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to discuss this with them."

"Awesome! Sounds like a plan!"

Kuroko ate some of his ramen but dropped some of the noodles, thus making the soup splatter on his face. He flinched then quickly wiped it away with his napkin. He noticed Momoi smiling at him. "You didn't see that."

Momoi was mentally squealing from how adorable his reaction was. "See what?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"So the audition is tomorrow at nine. If we're able to get your parents' permission, you'll have to come with me. Are you busy tomorrow?"

"Not at all. Where should we meet?"

"I'll pick you up then we can get breakfast somewhere."

"Okay, cool."

"Please keep this a secret from everyone other than your family."

"Got it," Momoi said.

They ate in a comfortable silence after the business stuff was done. When they'd finished off their soup, they walked to the Momoi household, Kuroko buying something on the way to bring for her family.

"Are your parents home?"

"They should be. Come inside." She unlocked the door, and Kuroko followed her in, taking his shoes off at the door. "I'm home!"

"Welcome back," her little brother said, not looking away from his video game. "How'd your date go?"

She blushed. "N-never mind that!" she stammered. "Tsuki, where are Mom and Dad?"

"Dining room."

"I brought popsicles. I don't think they're melted yet," Kuroko said. Puzzled at the foreign voice, Tsuki paused his game and looked up. He was surprised to see Kuroko there. "Would you like one?" he offered.

"Oh, my god. Moooom! Nee-chan brought her boyfriend home!" he yelled. "He has popsicles!"

"What? Boyfriend? Whose? Satsuki's? Popsicles? Where?" A man with rosy colored hair who was a few inches taller than Kuroko came running through the nearest doorway.

A woman who looked exactly like Momoi came up behind him. The only difference was that she wore her hair shoulder length and looked older. "Oh, my. I didn't know Sa-chan had a boyfriend."

"I don't!"

"Where is he, Tsuki?!" her father said.

"He's right next to her."

"There's no one the—"

"Hello," Kuroko said.

"Ahh! When did you get there?"

"I've been here the whole time."

"So you've come to ask for my Sa-chan's hand in marriage!" Kuroko was astounded by how Momoi's family thought the same thing she did earlier.

"Sa-chan, you can use my wedding dress!"

"Mom!"

"Um, that's a misunderstanding, sir."

"What?"

"I've actually come to request something of you concerning Momoi-san."

Tsuki took the bag of icy treats from Kuroko. "Can we have popsicles first? He brought them."

"Sure, why not?" Momoi's mom said.

"Why don't we sit down?" Momoi's dad suggested.

They walked to the dining table and sat, Momoi's dad taking the spot at the head of the table while the rest of the family sat around him. Kuroko sat next to Momoi. Tsuki eagerly opened the box of popsicles and passed one to everyone in his family. The popsicles won Tsuki over. The Momoi family and Kuroko exchanged light-hearted conversation while eating their popsicles. Once they finished, Momoi's father felt it was time to get on to the more serious part of the conversation.

"Kuroko-kun, how did you meet Satsuki?"

"We met during our time at Teiko. I was on the basketball team." Kuroko slightly saddened when he said that. It didn't go unnoticed by Momoi. "She was our manager. I met her after being introduced to her by Aomine-kun."

"I see," he said.

"Ah! So you met Daiki-kun first!" Momoi's mom in realization.

He stiffened a little at the mention of his former light. "Yes, ma'am."

"What was your full name?"

"Kuroko Tetsuya."

"No way!" Tsuki butted in. "You're 'Tetsu-kun'?!"

"Yes."

"The one with the popsicles that gave the winning one to Nee-chan?"

"Yes."

"The one that Daiki-nii said was li—"

"Tsuki! Enough!" Momoi said, blushing. She didn't want her brother to reveal how much she talked about him.

Her parents already knew all about him. He was quite the gentleman and seemed very dependable. He was also well liked by Aomine, and they had no problem with that. They approved of him.

"Momoi's dad folded his hands, "So you wanted to discuss something regarding Satsuki, Kuroko-kun?"

"Yes, sir."

"And it's not for her hand in marriage, correct?"

"Dad!"

"No, sir."

"Then what is it?"

"I was wondering if you'd let Momoi-san have a job."

"A job?"

"Yes. You see, I could possibly be entering the music industry soon, and I'd need a manager. The audition is tomorrow, and I was told to bring someone who could be my manager," Kuroko explained. "I'd like Momoi-san to do it. Her managing skills are extraordinary. So if you'd allow her, may she be my manager?" he asked, respectfully.

Momoi's dad smiled. "Of course. As long as she can handle it."

"Yes!" Momoi exclaimed. "Thanks, Dad!"

"My only condition is that you can't let your grades drop, Sa-chan," he warned.

"Got it!"

"Thank you, sir," Kuroko said, standing up to bow with a smile.

He laughed. "You can call me Kei. 'Sir' is way too formal to be used for me."

"Thank you, Kei-san," Kuroko corrected himself. "I'm probably requesting a lot from you already, but can I ask that all of you keep this a secret?"

"Of course. What happens in this house, stays in this house. It would be pretty bad if word of an upcoming star was leaked," Momoi's mother said with understanding.

"Thank you."

"Wow, wow! Tetsu-nii is gonna be famous!" Tsuki said, excitedly. You could almost see stars in his eyes. Though he did seem rather stoic earlier, he was part of the Momoi family. He had the same sparkle in his eyes that Momoi had whenever she was excited. "Remember the little people when you reach the big leagues! I wanna be in your speech when you win an award! Give me a shoutout!"

"I will," Kuroko agreed.

"Geez, Tsuki, calm down," Momoi said. "You always get so hyped up whenever it comes to celebrities."

"You can't talk!" he retorted.

Kuroko looked at his watch. "I'd better get going. The audition is at nine, so I'll be here tomorrow to pick up Momoi-san at about eight. Is that alright?" he asked her parents.

"Sounds good," Kei said.

"Okay, then."

"I'll see him off!" Momoi volunteered.

"See you tomorrow, Tetsu-nii!" Tsuki said.

"That's only if you wake up in time," Momoi pointed out.

Kuroko smiled. 'It must be nice to have a lively household like this,' he thought with a sense of longing. "See you."

"Let's go, Tetsu-kun. Before they start talking again." Momoi said. Kuroko followed as she led the way out.

"Our Sa-chan's growing up, Saki," Kei said, putting an arm around his wife.

"She is, isn't she?" she replied. "But she'll always be our baby."

"True, true. We still have this baby, too," he said, grabbing Tsuki.

"Mom! Dad! I'm too old to be a baby!" he said, reluctantly giving in to his doting parents' affection.

~Gray Skies~

"See you tomorrow, Tetsu-kun!" Momoi said, waving at him as he stepped out the gate.

"Bye, Momoi-san," he replied.

"Ne, isn't it time you started calling me 'Satsuki' instead of 'Momoi-san'?"

"Would you like me to?"

"Yes," she answered.

He paused for a second, averting his eyes from hers. A faint pink dusted his cheeks. "Satsuki-chan," he said quietly. He wasn't used to calling people by their first names.

Momoi turned shade of red rivaling Akashi's hair. "Tetsu-kun…" Her heart was beating as fast a team racing down the court in the last seconds of a game. She could almost hear the footsteps. But then she realized she _actually_ was hearing them.

"Tetsu!" an all-too-familiar voice said.

Momoi looked to the side to find the great Aomine Daiki standing there with a worried look in his eyes. Kuroko's eyes widened. He hadn't talked to the Generation of Miracles since the incident. He had no idea how to react.

"Dai-chan?"

Momoi was concerned. She remembered Aomine telling her that he hadn't answered any calls from the Miracles. Did it have something to do with how they once scarred him in Teiko? Was Kuroko was reliving the same pain?

"Tetsu, what happened? Why haven't you been answering your phone? Akashi called a friggin' annoying Miracle meeting again, but you didn't show. Did you, like, ditch school today? I heard you were sick, but you look fine to me. Daisuke told me they went by your house, but there was no answer. Was it something to do with what that dumbass Bakagami did? What happened with that other guy with the shitty hat? What did that chihuahua guy mean when he said we hurt you in Teiko? Why're you with Satsuki?" he blurted out. There were so many things on his mind that he needed to get out. He didn't care if he didn't make any sense. He needed answers.

Kuroko was silent. One of the causes for this silence being the fact that he didn't understand anything Aomine said, and the other being his inability to think of what to do.

Momoi noticed the deer-in-the-headlights expression on his face and decided to distract Aomine. "Dai-chan! Don't bombard Tetsu-kun with so many questions!" she scolded.

"Oh, shut it, Satsuki. Anyway, where were you during practice? You're always the one telling me to go, and the one time I go, you're gone. Coach said you left early." His focus shifted to her.

Kuroko took the chance to get away from the inquiring spirit of the ace whilst silently thanking Momoi. He activated his misdirection and slid away from the unwanted attention of his first former light, making a mental note to send her a thank you text.

"I went on a date."

"With Tetsu?"

"No, with Imayoshi-senpai," she said, sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Eh?! You went on a date with that creepy ass, Kansai-speaking megane?!" he gaped at her, jaw dropping.

"No, you idiot!" She punched his arm. "Can't you recognize sarcasm when it's thrown at you?"

"So you really didn't go on a date with him?"

"Ahomine!" she yelled. Momoi then stormed back into the house, leaving Aomine outside and confused.

He stood there rather dumfounded, after all, he was an idiot.

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko unlocked the door to his house. His parents weren't home, not that that was unusual, though. They went on a business trip. He locked the door behind him as he made his way down to the basement, which they had renovated into a soundproof music room. He decided he'd play a song as a little practice for the audition tomorrow. But before he played, he took out his phone to text Momoi.

He'd changed his number and phone since it got drenched in the rain. He now owned a smartphone.

'Thanks for earlier. I'll pick u up 8 2morrow See u then. Goodnight'

He pressed the send button and waited till it said 'delivered' then took out a few music sheets and set them on his shiny, black Yamaha grand piano. Kuroko sat at the bench and started the song.

"If I abandoned everything  
Would it be easier to laugh and live?  
My chest is starting to hurt again  
Don't say any more

If I forgot everything  
Would it be easier to live without tears?  
But I can't do that  
Don't show me any more

However close I get to you  
I only have one heart

It's cruel, it's ugly, I'd rather you take my body  
And destroy it, tear it apart, do as you like with it  
No matter how much I scream and struggle, or my eyelids swell  
You just hold me without letting go  
You can stop now

If my wishes came true,  
I would want the same as you  
But I don't have any  
At least come here

However much I'm loved by you  
I only have one heart

Stop, quit it, you're being too kind to me  
I can't understand, however I try  
It hurts, I'm in pain, use your words and tell me  
I don't know what's going on, don't leave me alone

It's cruel, it's ugly, I'd rather you take my body  
And destroy it, tear it apart, do as you like with it  
No matter how much I scream and struggle, or my eyelids swell  
You just hold me without letting go  
You can stop now

If I have a heart,  
How could I find it?  
You smile a little and say to me  
'If that's what you're looking for, it's right here.'"

Tears had started running down Kuroko's face somewhere in the middle of the song.

He sighed and wiped the tears from his eyes with his sleeve. "I'm so pathetic crying like this," he said to himself.

He put away the music and covered up the piano keys then headed up to his room. Once he changed into his sleepwear, he collapsed onto his bed and drifted to sleep, dreams overcome with possible outcomes of tomorrow's audition.

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko got out of the cab wearing a white, hoodie-style, long-sleeved shirt, black skinny jeans, white converse, and a baby blue wristband on his right arm. He also had his guitar case with him. He knocked on the door of the Momoi residence.

Momoi opened the door a few moments after he'd knocked. She wore a rose pink, short-sleeved, button-up shirt that matched the shade of her hair with a black pleated skirt, a black cardigan, and black ankle boots. Her shirt was tucked into her skirt. Momoi's long hair was pulled up into a simple but elegant braided ponytail, and she held a small white clutch.

"Tetsu-kun! Good morning!" she said, her face brightening with a smile.

"Morning," he replied. "Shall we go?" She nodded and followed Kuroko to the cab. He opened the door for her and got in after her. "Chocolat Blanc, Vanille Noire," Kuroko said to the driver. He nodded then the cab drove off.

The two chatted about little things on the way there. When they arrived, Kuroko paid the driver, thanked him, and they got out.

"Have fun on your date!" the driver called before driving away, making the two blush.

Kuroko opened the door open for Momoi. She thanked him as she walked in.

"Wow! This place is kinda fancy," she said.

"It is," he said in agreement. "But their stuff is pretty good for a reasonable price."

They sat at an empty table. A waiter came to take their orders then left. He returned within a few minutes with their food.

"So Tetsu-kun, what song are you going to sing?" Momoi asked before taking a bite out of her croissant.

"It's called Gray Skies," he answered.

"Cool. Who's it by? I'll look it up." She had her phone out, ready to go on YouTube.

"You won't find it anywhere. I wrote it."

"Eh? Really? Sugoi!"

A light pink dusted Kuroko's cheeks, contrasting with his pale complexion. "Thanks."

"But it will be out soon, if you get signed, right?"

"Maybe." He took a sip of his odd, yet surprisingly good, vanilla shake.

"Ne, Tetsu-kun, I thought you only liked vanilla shakes?" Momoi said, eyeing his black shake.

"It is vanilla."

"Seriously?"

He nodded. "It's quite odd. When I first saw it, I thought there must've been a mistake, but when I tried it, it tasted the same. It might even be better than the ones at Maji. Would you like a taste?"

"Uh… okay." He passed the shake to her. She took a sip, turning pink since this was technically an indirect kiss. "Wow. It's true." She passed it back to him.

Kuroko checked his phone. "We should probably get going now if we want to make it in time."

"Ah, right."

The waiter came by with the check. Kuroko put the money on the table before Momoi even had a chance. "My treat as thanks for coming with me," he said.

"Oh, okay. Thanks for the food," she said with a smile.

Kuroko smiled back.

They walked out of the café chatting as they walked to the bus stop. Conveniently, the bus arrived just as they did. They took their seats towards the back. When they finally arrived at Musical Tendencies, the two walked inside to the lobby where the fedora wearing producer was waiting for them.

Though today, he was wearing a different fedora. His hat was white with a deep blue stripe. It was paired with a white t-shirt and a cardigan the same color as the stripe. The white vans he wore completed the outfit.

"Kuroko-kun! I'm assuming this is your manager candidate?"

"Yes."

"Nice to meet you! I'm Momoi Satsuki," she said, bowing.

"Aikawa Yuki. Same here," he said with a smile. "Alright. Well, let's start with the interview then you'll audition. Follow me."

He led the two teens up the elevator to the third floor and through the corridors to room 317. The room was a joined office and recording room separated by a wall with a glass window. The recording room had a few instruments inside, including a grand piano, two guitars (one electric and one acoustic), a bass, and a drum set.

A middle-aged man in a black suit with contrasting white hair styled in a way that reminded Kuroko of Izuki sat in one of the swivel chairs next to the sound board.

"This is Shirona Yuu, the president of our company," Aikawa said.

"Hello, there. You're the Kuroko that Aikawa's told me of, I presume," the white-haired man said.

"Yes, sir. Nice to meet you." Kuroko bowed.

"Nice to meet you, as well. Have a seat. We'll start the interview now. If you two would step out for a moment," he said looking to Momoi and Aikawa.

"Yes, sir," Aikawa said.

"Good luck, Tetsu-kun!" Momoi said, giving him a thumbs up as she walked out.

He shot back a small smile before the door closed then sat down in the swivel chair across from Shirona.

"So Kuroko-kun, what is your full name and how old are you?"

"Kuroko Tetsuya. I'm seventeen."

"I hear you write songs."

"Yes, sir. I've written a few."

"How long have you been writing?"

"About two years."

"Ah, so you have some experience. What instruments do you play?"

"Piano, violin, cello, viola, guitar, bass, drums, and oboe."

"I see. I'm assuming you sing, as well?"

"Yes, sir."

"You're very talented."

"Thank you."

"Will you be auditioning with a song you wrote?"

"Yes."

"Okay, well, let's get to the audition." He stood up and opened the door to the part of the room with instruments. "I'll call in your friend and Aikawa. You can go set yourself up in there. Be ready to start when we get back." Shirona left the room in search of them.

Kuroko entered the room and sat at the piano bench. He'd brought his guitar just in case they didn't provide instruments for the audition, but they had, so he didn't need it. He set the case next to the piano. Since they weren't back yet, he'd decided to practice his song before they got here.

He played the piano part, singing the melody quietly until he heard the door open. He stopped. Through the window, he saw Momoi, Aikawa, and Shirona return.

Aikawa spoke into a mic that sounded through the monitors. "Ready when you are, Kuroko-kun."

Kuroko took a breath then started playing the intro to the song.

"My heart is cracking from the pain I feel  
Since then I've been thinking why only me  
How could I be so stupid as to think you cared  
If you did I wouldn't be standing here alone

I'm not alright  
I'm not okay  
I wish I could forget every memory that hurts"

Momoi's heart ached a bit. She felt like it related to what happened the other day. The emotion in his voice sounded heartbroken. Was this what he'd been feeling after the whole ordeal?

"You left me  
You moved on  
But I'm still here  
You never noticed me  
When I was standing near  
Alone and forgotten  
Like I don't exist  
I still stand here unnoticed now  
Under these same gray skies"

Aikawa and Shirona looked at each other, thinking the same thing. Kuroko's musical skill and his voice were what they were looking for.

_"_Maybe some things aren't meant to be  
We had some fun but things do change  
I thought that you were different from the rest of them  
But I guess I was wrong and you were just the same

I'm not alright  
I'm not okay  
I wish I could forget every memory that hurts"

They could feel his emotions through the song. There was something about his voice that they couldn't quite describe.

_"_You left me  
You've moved on  
But I'm still here  
You never noticed me  
When I was standing near  
Alone and forgotten  
Like I don't exist  
I still stand here unnoticed now  
Under these same gray skies

My heart has gone numb now  
I can't feel a thing  
Don't expect me to believe everything is alright"

It was… enchanting.

"You left me  
You've moved on  
But I'm still here  
You never noticed me  
When I was standing near  
Alone and forgotten  
Like I don't exist  
I still stand here unnoticed now  
Under these same gray skies

Under these same gray skies"

He ended with the final note then looked at the group through the window. They were speechless. All they could do was clap. Momoi had tears in her eyes. Aikawa and Shirona even gave him a standing ovation. Considering the fact that Shirona was a hard-to-please music critic, getting a standing ovation from him was a huge feat.

When they stopped, Kuroko peered out of the door to the office. "Um… Do I pass?"

"Yes! You do! You're one of the few who have actually managed to impress me. You've certainly exceeded my expectations," Shirona said, grinning. His excitement about the new addition to the company couldn't be contained. "Kuroko, you're in!" The teenaged boy was surprised by the sudden change in the president. "Aikawa, you're in charge of the rest."

"Yes, sir!"

"Make sure everything gets taken care of. I want his debut single out by next week if that's possible."

"Next week?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

"It might be a challenge for these two since they are still high school students."

"Well, that depends on them." He looked toward the two. "Kuroko-kun, Momoi-chan, do you think you can manage it?"

They looked at each other, having a silent conversation. When they looked back at the Musical Tendencies employees, the determination in their eyes notified the adults that they were gonna try.

"We're going to do this," they said, simultaneously with smiles on their faces.

"Awesome! I'll be counting on you then! Aikawa will brief you on what needs to happen," Shirona said. "Well, I have another meeting to get to so I'll see you around!" The man rushed out the door.

"Okay, then. There are some contracts that need to be signed." Aikawa looked through the file cabinet underneath the table with the sound boards. When he found all the papers he was looking for, he passed them out to Kuroko and Momoi, explaining what was what.

"I'm not gonna ask you to sign them right this moment since that would be rather sketchy, and I'd seem like a con-artist. Read them over first. With your parents would be best. If they can't read it with you, at least talk it over with them. But I'm assuming they already know that you're getting involved with us and that they've approved. And, Kuroko-kun, at the moment, your stage name would just be your regular name. Are you fine with that?"

"I'd rather stay anonymous. Could I go with Shadow? But it'd be spoken in English."

"Sounds good. It has a nice ring to it." Aikawa wrote it down. "Alright. Momoi-chan, since you're Kuroko-kun's manager candidate, we'll have you professionally trained. Miyako, you can come in!" he called.

A woman with long, light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes wearing a black pencil skirt and a light blue blazer over a white collared shirt with black heels came in. Her figure rivaled Momoi's. "Hello."

"Sensei?" Kuroko said. The last time he'd seen her was the day he'd collapsed. She'd been wearing a white coat that day.

"Kuroko-kun, nice to see you looking healthier," she said.

"Tetsu-kun, you know her?" Momoi asked, puzzled.

"Kuroko-kun, do you go to Seirin?" Aikawa asked.

He nodded.

"Ah, so that's why you're already acquainted. Miyako is Seirin's school nurse," he said, making the connection.

She turned to Momoi. "You must be Momoi-chan, right?"

Momoi nodded. "Momoi Satsuki. Nice to meet you."

"Sato Miyako. I'll be training you in the ways of Idol Managing 101," she said, smiling. "I'll be working with you from now until Kuroko-kun's debut."

"I'll be in your care," Momoi said, bowing.

"Same here," Sato said.

"Okay, Momoi-chan, Miyako is the best person who can train you for this. Do you know the group ICE!?"

"Of course. They're the most popular band this season," she said with a smile. "I love their music."

"Miyako is their manager."

"Ehh?! No way! you're ICE!'s manager?!"

Sato smiled. "Whether you knew it or not, and a lot of people usually don't know, ICE! is a group from Musical Tendencies."

"OMG! Cool!"

Their current conversation topic interested Kuroko. "Sato-sensei, you work two jobs?"

She hummed. "I already had the credentials for nursing, so I might as well do something with it. So that's why I'm at Seirin."

Kuroko nodded to show he understood.

"Alright. The first day we meet back here will be the recording day. In other words, Monday. We'll meet in the lobby then come up here to record. Momoi-chan, this will be your first training session."

"Okay, cool."

"Both of you make sure to bring your signed papers back that day."

The teens nodded.

"Kuroko-kun, make sure you're well rested Monday. Your debut song will be your audition song. What did you title your song?"

"Gray Skies."

Aikawa quickly jotted it down then looked up again. "Well, that's about it for today. Don't get sick. I already heard about Kuroko-kun collapsing the other day from Miyako."

Momoi looked at the shadow with a concerned look.

"No getting sick, you two! It's not fun, so stay healthy," Sato said. "Kuroko, no overworking yourself. I put you on sick leave so you could recover. Don't get any more sick."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Alright. See you Monday!" Aikawa said, grinning.

Momoi and Kuroko walked out of the room and to the elevator. When the elevator stopped on the ground floor, they walked out.

Kuroko smiled as he stepped out of the building into the gray, cloudy skies. The light casted shadows over his face.

"I am Shadow."


	5. Recording

(A/N: Hello, readers! I've finally finished chapter four! Thanks to those who reviewed! You guys honestly made my when life was just being sucky. Here's the next chapter. The song is Just Like You by Falling in Reverse.)

Chapter Four

"We've done it."

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko walked to his classroom. His sick leave was over so he eventually had to brave coming to school. They were changing seats today so that was good for him since he preferred to not be seen by Kagami or any of the other Seirin basketball club members. He activated his misdirection and walked through the door.

Kagami seemed antsy. He looked anxiously around for Kuroko but, as usual, couldn't find him anywhere. Class was starting. He knew Kuroko had to be here somewhere. He just didn't know where. He didn't have a clue of where to look. He had to apologize no matter what.

The red head still had no idea what came over him that day. It was like there was a monster inside of him. A monster that Kagami couldn't do anything about had taken over. The chains that restrained him were broken that day. It was almost too strong for Kagami. This second personality was almost similar to the 'other' Akashi—ruthless and cruel no matter what, spitting words that stabbed.

The class representative placed a box filled with paper slips containing numbers on the teacher's desk in the front of the room.

"Everyone, we'll be changing seats now. Please draw a number!" he said.

While people drew their numbers and moved their desks, Kuroko silently took a slip. _11, huh?_ he thought. He moved his desk before anyone could notice. He was at the back of the room in the seat next to his old one. He sat down and hoped Kagami didn't get one near him.

Thankfully, he didn't. And Kagami still hadn't found where he was.

The whole day, Kuroko had succeeded in avoiding the basketball club. He was currently on his way home to get ready for the recording. He was about to head out the door when he passed Sato in the hallway.

"Sato-sensei, domo," he said.

"Hello, Kuroko-kun," she said with a small wave. "Do you mind fetching Momoi-chan and bringing her to the infirmary? I asked her to come so we could just go to the studio together."

"Sure."

Kuroko walked outside. Other guys he passed by were murmuring about some cute girl at the gate of the school. When Kuroko got to the gate, Momoi was indeed standing there. Guys were crowding around her, but they dispersed when the taller-than-your-average-Japanese-guy siblings of Kise, Midorima, and Aomine appeared.

"Satsuki-nee? What are you doing here?" Daisuke said.

"I'm waiting for Tetsu-kun," she answered.

Despondent looks appeared on their faces.

"I don't think he's here today, Momoi-senpai," Ryou said. His normally gloomy aura was even heavier.

"Yeah, we haven't seen him all day even though we've been looking for him," Shin added. "Kagami-senpai hasn't either, and they're in the same class."

"Oh, is that so? I was told he would be here today," Momoi said.

Kuroko took this chance to approach them. He managed to pass by the eyes of the three freshmen, grabbed Momoi's hand, and led her away from them on the way to the infirmary.

"Tetsu-kun!"

Looks of shock overtook the three when they realized he was there. "Kuroko-senpai?!" Just like the rest of the Seirin basketball club and the Generation of Miracles, they had so many questions.

"Hello. We'd love to stay and chat, but, unfortunately, we have somewhere we need to be so we'll be going," Kuroko said, taking Momoi and slipping away from them.

The three freshmen tried to go after them, but the two were nowhere to be found. Somehow, Kuroko's misdirection worked on others when he was with them. They gave up on looking for him on their own and ran to the gym, hoping their senpais were there already. Fortunately for them, Riko was there.

"Coach!" Daisuke yelled the minute he saw her.

She looked their way. "Why aren't you three dressed yet? Practice is starting soon."

"Kuroko-senpai!" Shin shouted.

"Eh? Kuroko?"

"We were on our way here, but people were talking about some girl at the gate with pink hair, and we thought it might be Momoi-senpai, and when we went to see, it actually was Momoi-senpai, so we asked her why she was here, and she said she was waiting for Kuroko-senpai, and we told her he wasn't here because we never saw him no matter how much we looked, and Kuroko-senpai appeared and took Momoi-senpai away, and we tried to chase them, but we lost them, and we don't know where they went, and I don't know why we couldn't find him earlier, but he was apparently here, and even Kagami-senpai didn't know where he was, and they're in the same class, and Kuroko-senpai is somewhere on campus with Momoi-senpai, and we need to find them."

Riko didn't understand a word he said. "Ryou, translate."

"Kuroko-senpai is here on campus somewhere with Momoi-senpai," he said, simply.

"Why's Momoi here?"

"She said she was waiting for Kuroko-senpai," Shin said. "Other than that, we don't know anything."

Kagami and the rest walked into the gym, unaware of the chase they'd soon be on.

"Great timing!" Riko said with a serious expression. "All of you, Kuroko's here today. We're going after him. He should be easier to spot since he's with Momoi."

"Eh?!" they yelled, simultaneously.

"I'll explain later. Let's just try to get him here."

"So we're basically attempting to kidnap Kuroko?" Hyuuga asked, incredulously.

"Pretty much," the teenaged coach answered.

He sighed. Only Coach Aida Riko would ever think of a plan like this. "Well, we can't help it. Let's go!"

"Yeah!" the rest of the group shouted in agreement.

Everyone in the gym ran out for The Great Kuroko Search.

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko and Momoi maneuvered their way through the Seirin hallways. They'd already encountered some of the basketball club members, namely Hyuuga and Koganei and Mitobe, but Kuroko managed to get away. Fortunately, they hadn't run into Izuki and his Eagle Eye.

"Tetsu-kun, why are we avoiding them?" Momoi said.

"Reasons," he responded.

"Does this have to do with what happened a few days ago?"

"I'll explain later."

"Okay."

They were almost to the infirmary. They just had to turn the corner. They were about to go into the hallway where the office was when Kuroko heard footsteps. He stuck to the wall. Momoi followed in suit. They waited for the person to pass. It was… Kagami! If it was even possible, Kuroko stuck closer to the wall than he was before. He really didn't want to be found by him.

Kagami walked past, unknowing of their presence, with one thought in his head: Damn, where is Kuroko?

When Kuroko was sure he was gone and wouldn't come back, he sighed in relief. Momoi followed him as he walked down the hall peacefully. They reached the infirmary where Sato was waiting for them.

"Hi, Momoi-chan, Kuroko-kun," she said with a smile. She still had her white coat on. "I'll be with you guys as soon as I finish these last documents." She walked into the office inside the infirmary.

Aki, the assistant, was there. She looked puzzled since the teacher had addressed two people, but she only saw one.

"Domo," Kuroko said.

"Whoa, when did you get there?!" Aki said, shocked at the presence of the boy.

"Momoi-san and I walked in together," he answered, bluntly.

"Wait, you're that kid from a few days ago. The one with the letter to the basketball club!"

Momoi looked at him in a curious but concerned way. Letter? What did it have to do with the occurrence at Maji's? Did a repeat of their middle school years happen?

Kuroko nodded. "I'm glad you remembered, Shinohara-senpai."

"Wait, you knew my name? How?"

"You made that announcement about the exam schedule during the assembly."

"Oh, yeah."

"Aki, you can head home now!" Sato-sensei called from her office.

"Alright! See you tomorrow!" she said, grabbing her bag. "Well, I'll see you later, kohai." She walked out. She poked her head in the doorway a couple seconds later. "Cute girlfriend, by the way." She then left for real, leaving Momoi blushing.

A few minutes later, Sato came out of her office, taking off the white coat. "Okay, ready to head to the studio?"

"Hai!" the two teens said.

"Let's go," she said.

The three walked to the school's faculty parking lot. The almost ran into Ryou and Shin, but they'd already passed by the time they reached that hallway. Sato unlocked her car, they got in, then they drove to Musical Tendencies.

~Gray Skies~

Shin and Ryou walked through the halls, searching for the missing shadow. They had no idea where he could be. A few minutes after they'd passed the nurse's office, Ryou's phone rang.

"Hello?"

"RYOU-CHI! DID YOU FIND KUROKO-CHI!"

Ryou hung up. His brother would murder his ears. His phone rang again. He hesitated before answering it. He held the phone away from his ear.

"Geez! You're so mean!"

"You'll kill my ears," Ryou answered.

Shin smiled. By that reaction he already knew it was Kise.

"Did you find him?"

"He was here with Momoi-senpai earlier. We're currently searching for him."

Meanwhile, Shin searched a nearby classroom.

"ONE PUUUUNCH!" Shin's ringtone was indeed the One Punch Man opening.

"Hello?" he answered, holding the phone like L of Death Note.

"Shin."

"Yes, Nii-san?"

"Not like I care or anything, but what's the situation with Kuroko?"

"We haven't found him et. He's somewhere with Momoi-senpai."

"Momoi? Why was she there?"

"Dunno. She said she was waiting for Kuroko-senpai then he suddenly appeared and took her away."

"There may be a chance that they've gone already."

"What?"

"Takao and I saw Momoi just now. She was in a car with someone. Kuroko may have been with her."

"Okay, got it. Thanks, Nii-san."

Shin hung up.

"Ryou, let's go," he said.

"Where?" Ryou said, brushing his bangs to the side. He really needed a hair cut. His hair was getting a little too long.

"We're finding Coach to call off the search. Kuroko-senpai's gone."

~Gray Skies~

Midorima dialed Akashi's number.

"Shintarou, I take it you have news on Tetsuya," the emperor said.

"He's somewhere with Momoi according to Shin. They were in a car with someone. Takao spotted them on the way home."

"I see. Thank Shin and Kazunari for me. Kazunari's Hawk Eye definitely comes in handy in times like these as well as Shin's attendance at Seirin. I'll be sure to speak to Satsuki in the near future."

Akashi hung up.

Midorima got chills. He shouldn't have mentioned Momoi, but he knew if he hadn't, Akashi would find out anyway. He didn't wanna know what he would do. He would never admit it, but he hoped she had her lucky item.

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko and Momoi were guided by Sato to the room they were in a few days ago where Kuroko had auditioned. There was someone sitting in an office chair facing away from them.

The person, which was revealed to be Aikawa, spun around. "Greetings," he said with a smile. His hands were folded like that of a villain. "I presume you both have brought your signed forms?"

The two teens nodded then took the papers out of their bags and handed them to Aikawa.

"Awesome," he said, putting them in a folder. He pulled a party popper out of his pocket and shot it. "Congratulations! I officially welcome you to Musical Tendencies!" Aikawa stood up. "Let's get down to business then. We've got a bunch of things to do."

"Alrighty, then," Sato said. "Momoi-chan, did you remember to bring the notebook and planner I told you to?"

"Yeah," she said, pulling a pink notebook and a smaller white notebook with colored tabs (Kuroko assumed that was the planner) out of her bag.

"Great!"

While Sato was getting Momoi oriented with professional managing, Aikawa was teaching Kuroko the basics.

"Okay, on recording days like today, you'll go into the recording room," he said, stating the obvious. "The recording room is the room you sang your song in yesterday. So that one," he said, pointing at the room separated by the wall and glass window. "Go ahead and walk in. I'll instruct you from here like how most will when we have an actual sound person in here. For today, I'll be recording your song then I'll send it to the sound people to mix."

Kuroko nodded. He walked through the door to the recording room and looked through the glass window at Aikawa for further instructions.

"Please speak into the mic."

Kuroko found the mic stand by a set of guitars (one bass, one electric, and one acoustic). There was a green light on the mic. "What should I say?"

"Anything. We're just sound checking for now."

"This is kinda cool," Kuroko admitted.

"I know right!" Aikawa said. "Just keep talking so I can set the volume. You could sing if you like."

"Alright." He thought of a song. He soon remembered one that reminded him of Aomine. "Anything's fine, right?"

"Yup."

Kuroko took a breath then started singing.

"I've got a bad case of ADD.  
I've been this way since 17.  
I've got a fucked up brain and a really bad attitude.  
I blame it on my drug abuse!

So, you don't wanna be  
Too close to me  
Cuz you might see my broken heart."

Kuroko was having fun with this song. A lot. Way more than he thought he should be since it was pretty much mocking Aomine. He couldn't hold back his smile as he sang.

"I am aware that I am an asshole.  
I really don't care about all of that though.  
I'm living my life the way that I want to!  
And you can't deny  
That honestly I'm just like you!"

Since Kuroko's voice was being projected in the sound room, Momoi burst out in laughter once she heard the lyrics. She could already tell this was about Aomine. Her laughter was so contagious it infected Aikawa and Sato, as well.

"Whoa, there. I didn't know you had a song like that, Kuroko-kun," Aikawa said, chuckling.

"It's not mine. It was a song I found a couple years ago that reminded me of someone," he said, truthfully.

"I'm guessing this is someone you both are close to?" Sato asked.

Momoi smiled. "Yeah."

"Somewhat," Kuroko said.

"I see," the two adults said, striking a thoughtful pose.

Kuroko and Momoi didn't know if they'd planned that, but it was funny to see how in sync they were with each other.

Aikawa clapped his hands. "Okay, let's get down to business to record this song~" Aikawa sang to the tune of I'll Make a Man Out of You from Mulan. "Well, for soundcheck we still need to check the piano." Aikawa turned the mic on from the board. "Kuroko-kun, can you repeatedly press a key on it?"

Kuroko did as he was told. He pressed the A key since Aikawa said a key.

"Okay, we're good. Go sit at the piano."

Kuroko pulled out the bench.

Aikawa got a lightbulb. He opened a crate under the table that the sound board was on and pulled out a headset. It was the wireless kind and also had a mic. It was specifically made for recordings when the artist was playing the instrumental himself/herself while singing. Aikawa calibrated it, set the volume, and walked into the recording room.

He put it on Kuroko and adjusted it to fit his head. "This will work better. I'll cue you then you can start."

"Okay."

Aikawa walked back to the adjoining room and sat back down at the sound room. He held up five fingers. Well, technically, four fingers and a thumb, but you get the point.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

Aikawa gave Kuroko the thumbs up then hit the record button.

~Gray Skies~

Daisuke walked home with a downcast mood. Kuroko had slipped through Seirin's fingers once again. But he wondered what Momoi had to do with it and how she was related to this situation. Why was she waiting at the gate? Why did Kuroko drag her away? Where did they go? He heard from Shin and Ryou that Midorima and Takao had seen them. They were in a car, but who were they riding with?

He unlocked the door of the Aomine residence that was right next to the Momoi house. He found his brother lazing around on the couch with a Horikita Mai magazine. He sighed. He never would get over that depraved habit of his to look at those right when he got home.

"I'm home," Daisuke announced, not that he expected his brother to notice since he was 'reading.'

To his surprise, Aomine put down his magazine. "Welcome back. Did you get any news about Tetsu?"

"Satsuki-nee was waiting for him at the gate," the younger Aomine answered. "Then Kuroko-senpai ran off with her."

"What?!"

"We don't know where they went, but we got word from Midorima-senpai and Takao-san that they were in a car with someone."

"Damn, Satsuki," he cursed. "She contacted him and didn't tell me. Wait, who'd you hear from that they were in a car?" Aomine's listening skills weren't that great, but Daisuke had learned to deal with it.

"Midorima-senpai and Takao-san."

"Oh…" Aomine let it sink in for a bit. "Wait, Midorima?! Shit, she's screwed," he said, seriously for once.

"Language, Nii-san," Daisuke scolded. "And why is she in a bad position?"

"If it was Midorima, Akashi's definitely heard about it by now. Midorima's not the type to snitch, but when comes to Akashi, he definitely wouldn't hold back information since he dishes out punishments. Akashi ordered us to report anything we hear about Kuroko. He'd consider Satsuki's silence as direct defiance."

"Is Akashi-senpai that fearsome?"

Aomine shivered when he remembered those scissors of his and the penalties he gave in middle school. "You don't even know half of his terror."

~Gray Skies~

About an hour after they started, the newly assembled Team Shadow had finished recording the song including all the instrumental parts. The bass was just added to the recordings.

It was done like this: They started with the piano and vocals, then they added separate recordings first starting with the percussion, then the guitar (he used the electric instead of the acoustic), then the snazzy violin harmonies, and finally the bass. As they recorded, Aikawa synced them to the computer and had it list form, labeling them as to what they were like 'Bass' or 'Drums.'

Aikawa copied them to a black flash drive and made a folder, which he named 'Gray Skies,' then took it out of the computer. He randomly pulled out a labeling machine and labeled the flash drive 'SHADOW.'

"Momoi-chan, you've got this down pat. I can see why Kuroko-kun wanted you as his manager," Sato said, smiling.

Pleased with herself, Momoi smiled back. "Thank you for your guidance, Sato-sensei!"

"You're welcome. It was fun teaching you since not a lot of the managers I've taught understand it this easily. Feel free to text me when you have any questions. Oh, and one more thing." Sato motioned her to lean closer. "Good luck with Kuroko-kun," she whispered. "I'm rooting for you," she said, grinning while holding up the victory sign.

"Thank you very much!"

Momoi had the basic concepts and specifics of professional managing down. Kuroko had come out of the recording room and sat next to her. He was observing her notes. She'd taken up, and I'm not exaggerating, eleven pages. She wrote down everything she thought was crucial in the pink notebook, similar to how she did for basketball when it came to certain players and teams. Sato was a good teacher and Momoi was good at memorizing and understanding things so it went well.

Idol managing wasn't all that different from basketball managing. The only difference was that idol managing required her to arrange and schedule things like photo shoots, which would come later in Kuroko's career, recordings, live gigs, and song deadlines when basketball managing only required her to come to practice and games while the coach arranged everything like matches and stuff. There wouldn't be any scheduling problems that conflicted with basketball either since she'd be scheduling everything herself. She would still have to interact with people except these people were on way higher levels than the basketball people—these were people around Akashi's status—but that was no problem for her since she was a social butterfly.

As far as Momoi knew, she'd be scheduling almost everything herself except for the stuff for Kuroko's debut since Aikawa and Sato agreed to help them with their first project. When this debut stuff was over, Sato would have to go back to managing ICE!, but they'd still be seeing Aikawa a lot since he was Kuroko's producer. He'd be the one releasing all the music.

To say Momoi was excited was the understatement of the year.

"Alright! We did it!" Aikawa said, thrilled.

"We've done it," Kuroko said with a smile.

The four cheered. Well, the three cheered. Kuroko just smiled happily.

"Well, let's go get this to the sound people downstairs," Aikawa said. "I'd like you two to get acquainted with them too since you'll be working together often."

The group walked out of room 317 and went down to the first floor. Aikawa and Sato led them to room 112. Aikawa knocked on the door to alert whoever was in there that they were coming in then opened it.

"Sup, guys!" he said, walking in.

"Yo, Aikawa, Sato," a guy with glasses said.

"Kuroko?! Momoi?! What are you doing here?!"

The two teenagers found a familiar face within Musical Tendencies—their beloved former captain from Teiko, Nijimura Shuzo.


	6. Catching Up

(A/N: Sup, readers! Thanks to all of you who reviewed! Those reviews really motivate me to write. ;) When I started this fic, I wasn't sure if Nijimura was one year or two years older than Kuroko and the Generation of Miracles so for this story, let's just say he's two years older, which makes him a college student in this time frame. The song in this chapter is Story by Ono Kensho (Kuroko's seiyuu). It's also the opening for Luck and Logic so for those of you who haven't seen it, I recommend it. Well, here's chapter five!)

* * *

Chapter Five

"Pathetic, aren't I?"

~Gray Skies~

"Kuroko?! Momoi?! What are you doing here?!"

The two teens found themselves face to face with their former captain, Nijimura Shuzo.

"Nijimura-senpai!" Momoi said, smiling.

"Domo, Nijimura-senpai," Kuroko greeted.

Aikawa grinned. "Ah, so you two already know Nijimura-kun. That makes introductions simpler then." He turned to the two sound people. "This is the new, upcoming artist I told you about, Shadow, and his manager."

"I'm Momoi Satsuki. Nice to meet you," she said with a bow.

"Kuroko Tetsuya. I look forward to working with you."

"I'm Takahashi Takashi," the guy with the glasses said. "You can call me Takashi. Nice to meet you," he said with a smile.

He had messy brown hair and green eyes. They were not as dark a shade as Midorima's forest green ones but a more similar shade to the light, pastel green crocodile pen he had in his pocket.

"So did you all go to the same school?" Takahashi said.

"Yes, in middle school," Momoi answered.

"I see."

"Well, before we digress," Aikawa said, "here's the song." He handed the flash drive to Takahashi. "I leave the mixing to you two."

"Shuzo, why don't you handle this one? I'll touch up on it after you finish," Takahashi said, giving it to him. "It'll be good for your experience."

"Alright."

"Well, that's pretty much it for today so we'll be going now," the fedora-wearing producer said.

"Niji, I'm sure you wanna catch up with your kohais so you can go, too," Takahashi said. He whispered something to Nijimura.

"Idiot!" he said, slapping his coworker's arm. "It's not like that!" Nijimura's face was tinted a light pink.

Takahashi laughed. "Just make sure to mix it later."

"Got it."

"Well, see y'all later!" Takahashi said with a wave.

The group walked out of the room, chatting idly on their way to the lobby.

"Well, this is where we part ways. Sato and I have a few more things to take care of. Kuroko-kun, make sure to think about what you want on the album cover and a logo for yourself."

Kuroko nodded.

"Good work today! We'll see you tomorrow!" Sato said.

"Bye!" Momoi said, waving.

The two adults and the three teens went their separate ways. They decided to stop by Maji Burger to catch up with each other, at Nijimura's suggestion. Kuroko was a bit reluctant to go, but even though there was the danger of running into Seirin, he had to admit he missed their vanilla shakes. They arrived, got their food, then sat down at a small table in the corner of the room.

"So how've you guys been?" Nijimura asked before taking a bite out of his hamburger. He preferred the same kind as Kagami, but he didn't eat an outrageously large amount of them like the red-headed idiot.

"Good, I guess," Kuroko said, simply.

"Excited! Tetsu-kun's talent is finally being recognized!" Momoi said, a happy smile on her face.

Nijimura laughed at the two different reactions his kohais had. "Yeah, I didn't know you could sing, Kuroko. You're all Aikawa's been talking about lately. I haven't gotten a chance to hear you yet. Mind giving me a sample?"

"We can stop by my place later and I'll give you the sample then," Kuroko offered. He didn't want people to crowd like what happened in the park in a restaurant. It'd get rather cramped. And in this place, if he so much as attracted the attention of someone because of his voice, word would definitely get around to Seirin.

"Awesome. Oh, yeah. I saw you guys play at the Winter Cup. Those games were pretty amazing if I do say so myself. But I expect nothing less of my kohais," he said, proudly. He didn't notice the serious aura that engulfed the the shadow and the manager. "I hope you're not letting your jobs get in the way of your practices."

He was answered by silence.

"Did I mention something I shouldn't have?" he asked when he finally noticed the solemn atmosphere. He looked at their grim expressions. "I did, didn't I?"

Momoi looked to Kuroko, worriedly.

"Okay, spill it. What happened?" Nijimura demanded.

"Not here," Kuroko said, looking around for any Seirin members. He didn't see any, but he didn't want to stay there like a sitting duck any longer while they were out hunting for him. "Let's discuss this somewhere else."

Thus they decided to go to Kuroko's house.

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko unlocked the door and held the door for his two companions. "Come in."

"Sorry for bothering," they said.

_It's Tetsu-kun's house!_ Momoi thought, excitedly. None of the Generation of Miracles have ever been to Kuroko's house before. Neither has Seirin. Well, they've been there but were never actually invited in.

"Do you guys want anything? Tea? Soda? Coffee?" Kuroko asked.

"I'm okay," Momoi said.

"Same here," the former captain said.

"Alright, then," Kuroko said, taking his shoes off.

"Are your parents here?" Momoi asked.

"No, they're on a business trip."

"It's just you here?" Nijimura asked.

Kuroko nodded.

He closed the door then led them to the basement where his music equipment was. Nijimura wanted a sample so he'd give it to him.

"You can sit there," he said, pointing at the piano bench. Kuroko put his guitar on, plugged it into an amp, then turned on his mic. He smiled. "I'll be giving you a private concert then."

"Isn't it kinda late to be using an amp?" Nijimura asked. "I don't want your neighbors to complain."

"It'll be fine. The basement is soundproof."

"Okay, then let's hear it."

Kuroko tuned his guitar quickly then began.

"I was yelling with sensuous impulse  
I got the feeling you were gonna go somewhere far away  
I want to see you!

I could've said it in a parallel world  
I wouldn't have feared a thing if it'd been within a dream  
Back then, when I was running away from reality  
I was walking on and on through days of regret

I want to see you! I want to see you!  
I was calling your name, unable to make it through  
We'll never be able to go back to that day

Someday I'll fall in love again with someone else  
Following a different path in a parallel story  
Sending this daybreak love song to you  
I sang to the morning sun, rising in the sky:  
I want to change! I want to change!  
Wishing strongly, I turn to face tomorrow

I screwed up, making an emotional decision  
But I can't erase the words and return to that day  
I lacked so much experience then  
But it's because I can't change the past that I'm searching for the future!

The reason you were crying again and again  
Never really occurred to me  
But the day you can smile again will surely come

We'll surely end up making mistakes again  
But we'll keep rising back up in this dramatic story  
So I could make it past the sunrise without you here  
I looked up to the sky  
I want to change! I want to change!  
Entreating a powerful wish, I'm yelling on high

I thought of you with sensuous impulse

Someday I'll fall in love again with someone else  
Following a different path in a parallel story  
Sending this daybreak love song to you  
I sang to tomorrow's sun, rising in the sky:  
I want to change! I want to change!  
Wishing strongly, I turn to face tomorrow

I turn to face tomorrow!

I'll take along everything you gave me  
The things you gave me will surely bring a different tomorrow  
I'll take along all the days you smiled  
The days you cried will surely change me!"

He let the last chord ring with a smile.

Momoi clapped. Nijimura's jaw went slack. He knew Kuroko was good since Aikawa wouldn't shut up about him for the past week—the music producer didn't get impressed easily—but the former captain didn't know he was _that_ good. He was awestruck.

"Nijimura-senpai?" Kuroko asked, a bit worried.

Momoi waved a hand in front of his face. "Senpaaaaiiii?"

Nijimura finally snapped out of his daze. "Ah, sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head. That was really good. I mean, _really_. I can see why Aikawa chose you. He only picks the best musicians. Music really is your forte. Well, I guess I should say fortissimo in this case."

Kuroko smiled. "Thanks."

The college student remembered the two's reaction to his mention of basketball. "Hey, you two still have some explaining to do. What exactly happened that made basketball a sore subject?" He eyed Kuroko. "You guys won the Winter Cup, didn't you?"

The shadow put his guitar down. "It'll take a while." He checked the clock. It was 8:48. "Are you sure you can stay? I don't want to inconvenience you. Momoi-san, your parents might be worried."

"I'll call to let them know I'll be late," she answered, taking out her phone.

Kuroko nodded. While Momoi stepped out to call her parents, the blue-haired boy turned to his senior, now coworker. "Nijimura-senpai, what about you? Do you live far?"

"A bit, but I'll survive the commute," he said in reply.

"You could stay over. There's a spare room."

"You sure? I don't want to bother you anymore than I already have."

He nodded. "It's fine. You guys aren't a bother at all. I would offer the same to Momoi-san, but I don't think her parents would appreciate that."

Nijimura laughed. _Always the gentleman, aren't you, Kuroko?_ "Alright, I'll take you up on your offer then."

Momoi walked back in. "They said it was fine," she announced.

"Let's go up," Kuroko said. "The living room's more comfortable than here. I'll get some drinks, too."

The manager and music techie followed the singer out of the room.

~Gray Skies~

Takao was in his room watching anime.

"Tonight, I'll run away, run away, as if it's all a lie!  
Somebody please take my hand!  
I don't care if that unknown tomorrow never comes  
All I want to do right now is sleep!"

He was singing along to the opening, eagerly awaiting what would occur in this week's episode when his phone suddenly started ringing.

"Dammit! Right as Ajin was starting!" He glared at his phone. "Who would be calling me at this hour?!" he asked, irritatedly. He looked at the number. He didn't recognize it but decided to answer, anyway.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Hello, Kazunari. I assume you can figure out who this is just by hearing my voice. You're smart enough," the person on the other side said, amused.

"Akashi?!" The hawk-eyed boy was terrified. _How the fucking hell did he get my number?! _Takao gasped with instant realization. _Shin-chan, why have you given me up to the devil?!_

"Correct." Akashi smiled that creepy yandere smile of his on the other side of the line. "I had my ways for getting your number. And I didn't get it from Shintarou."

_HE HAS FREAKING ESP!_ To say that Takao was terrified of Akashi was an understatement. He really wanted to hang up right now, but he didn't want to get stabbed by the redhead's scissors.

"I had a question for you," Akashi said. Takao shivered in fright, fearing the possibility of the emperor asking him something really, really shady like where he'd like his body to be buried. "What kind of car were Tetsuya and Satsuki in earlier?"

The black-haired point guard sighed in relief, thankful that it was just that. "A Toyota Prius. White."

"Did you happen to catch the license plate number?"

"Ah, yeah… XX-XX. It was a private vehicle from Tokyo. I don't remember specifically where in Tokyo, though."

"That's fine. That's more than enough information. Thank you, Kazunari."

"Haha… Yeah, no problem," Takao said, albeit nervously. He still got the chills whenever Akashi said his name.

Akashi hung up, smirking. He found amusement in how much Takao was fearful of him. On the other hand, Takao was thanking God that his life was spared. While Akashi went back to his investigating, Takao was happy that the anime was still at the beginning when they showed the previous events.

"Run, Kei, run! Don't let 'em catch you!"

~Gray Skies~

"Nijimura-senpai, I assume you haven't heard much of what happened during our third year?" Kuroko said.

"Yeah," he affirmed.

"I'll fill you on with what happened then go on to what occurred a few days ago," the shadow said with a sigh.

Momoi could tell he didn't want to relive that. Even on her part, it hurt just to remember the pain from that time.

"During our second year, as you know, we won the tournament. But the victory started going to the Generation of Miracles' heads since Coach Shirogane grew ill and Coach Sanada enforced the 'victory is everything' concept.

"In our third year, everyone's talents started blooming. It all started with Aomine-kun. His playing was only getting better and better every time he went to practice. When the tournament started, a lot of the teams just stopped trying because the games were so one-sided, and they knew they couldn't win. The first time one of the players from opposing teams gave up totally killed Aomine-kun's joy. He was having so much fun, but he probably thought he was the only one. He lost the joy he had in basketball since he couldn't play seriously against anyone. He stopped going to practice because he didn't want to get any better than he already was since no one could match up to him. He'd ditch practice. Momoi-san would go after him, but it was all for naught. Coach Sanada and even Akashi-kun said it was fine for him to skip."

Momoi remembered her efforts of trying to get Aomine to come. She teared up a bit. It was just sad for her to see how pained her childhood friend was since the joy of basketball was ripped from him.

"The rest of the Generation of Miracles became the same way after their talents bloomed," Kuroko said, continuing. "Kise-kun and Midorima-kun still went to practice, but they didn't find basketball fun anymore. And Murasakibara-kun and Akashi-kun… It turned out really badly."

Nijimura listened intently. He had no idea all of this went down after he'd graduated from Teiko. But he hasn't heard half of it.

"Murasakibara-kun challenged Akashi-kun. Murasakibara-kun didn't want to come to practice anymore since Aomine-kun wasn't going, but Akashi-kun said he couldn't. Then he challenged Akashi-kun. If he won, then it meant he was better than Akashi at basketball, and he wouldn't have to listen to him anymore. Well, Akashi-kun was about to lose, and that triggered something inside of him like a split personality."

"Whoa, Akashi? _He,_ of all people, had that in him?" Nijimura asked, incredulously.

Momoi nodded, gravely.

"So Akashi-kun's split personality took over, and he completely defeated Murasakibara-kun and forced him into submission. But by then, the 'other' Akashi didn't care anymore so he said Murasakibara-kun could skip if he wanted to, but he went to practice anyway and was more loyal to Akashi-kun than before. But the 'other' Akashi-kun struck fear into all of the basketball club members. Later on, during the tournament, we had a game against my childhood friend's team."

"We did?!" Momoi asked.

"It was Meiko," Kuroko answered.

"Ah…"

"We had made a promise when we were kids that we would eventually play each other in a tournament. That was the day that we were supposed to fulfill that promise, but I'd gotten injured in the previous match so I couldn't play. While I was in the infirmary, the Generation of Miracles played them. I watched the game from the TV. It horrified me when I realized that the Generation of Miracles were only toying with them. Murasakibara-kun put Meiko's missed shot back in the basket right as the buzzer rang. I rushed out to the court as fast as I could only to see my friend's broken expression."

Momoi looked like she was about to cry. She didn't know this had gone on. The pain she went through was nothing compared to his. _So this is why Tetsu-kun left_.

"I called him but got no answer. I tried contacting him several times later, but I didn't get a single response. I even showed up at Meiko, but he was gone. I heard from his senpai that my friend had transferred, leaving nothing but a single wristband. His senpai gave it to me and thanked me for being worried about him, but I could tell he was still depressed about that game."

_Wow, they really went too far_, Nijimura thought.

"Later I confronted them about it, but they did nothing and had no regrets. They said it was 'just a game'. But they obviously couldn't tell that even a game could seriously hurt a person. I turned in my resignation form to the basketball club later that week and avoided them for the rest of the year until graduation when I met with Akashi-kun. He asked me, 'what is victory?' I didn't have an answer at that time, but I did say that I wouldn't run away anymore.

"Then high school started, and I attended Seirin. We eventually grew closer to each other as we experienced victory and loss together. And we ended up defeating all of the Generation of Miracles."

"At the InterHigh and Winter Cup, right?" Nijimura asked.

Kuroko nodded.

"What was your partner's name again?"

"Kagami Taiga," the shadow answered, sadly. "When we defeated the Miracles, they still didn't lose their apathy to it, but we managed to rekindle our friendship. Kise-kun's, Midorima-kun's, and Aomine-kun's brothers joined Seirin's basketball club because they wanted to get rid of their brothers' disinterest to the sport. They're about as talented in basketball as their older brothers. We made a promise that we would make the Generation of Miracles revert to how they were when they loved basketball.

"Recently, before practice, I walked in on Seirin talking. They basically said that they had no more need of me and that I could be replaced so I quit before they could kick me off the team," he said, voice breaking. The tears Kuroko tried so hard to hold back fell. "Sorry." He wiped away the tears furiously as if he were mad at himself for crying. Well, not 'as if'. He really was mad at himself. "I know it's true, but it still hurts knowing that people that I let in just broke me from the inside. I did say that I wasn't gonna run away anymore, but here I am running away again. Pathetic, aren't I?"

He was met with silence. Momoi was sobbing silently while Nijimura had a grave look plastered on his face.

"I just thought, since this has already happened twice, basketball probably wasn't meant for me. My childhood friend picked up basketball again, but this time, it's my fault we won't ever get to fulfill our promise."

There was no guarantee that the reopened wounds on Kuroko's heart would ever heal.

Nijimura stood up, walked to where Kuroko was sitting across from them, and sat down next to him. Momoi did the same.

"Kuroko, listen to me," Nijimura said. "You're not pathetic or useless. It was over the top for Seirin to say that. You know what? They're stupid. They're stupid idiots for not being able to see what you've done for them." He put his arm around him. "You don't have to listen to them, got it? In fact, don't."

"Yeah, Tetsu-kun," Momoi agreed. "I know I'm usually not one to approve of this, and I'm probably learning too much from Dai-chan, but they're fucking bastards."

"We'll excuse it this one time," Nijimura said, jokingly. "Well, yeah… No need to listen to them."

They stayed there in a group hug until Kuroko's tears stopped.

When Kuroko was okay (not necessarily okay but better than before), he spoke up softly. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Momoi said with a smile.

"Yeah, we're here for you," Nijimura said.

Kuroko wasn't sure if he could trust those words since the last time he heard them ended badly, but he decided to go with his gut feeling, which told him to trust them. It was Momoi, after all, who was always concerned about him. With Seirin, he never consulted his gut.

"So what are you doing about this now?" Nijimura asked.

Kuroko hesitated before answering. "Avoiding people other than Momoi-san."

"I'm not gonna say that's the best option since you'll eventually have to face them, but if that's what you wanna do, go for it. Avoid them as best you can. I'm sure you can do that pretty well with your misdirection," Nijimura said with a smile. "Does 'people' include the Generation of Miracles?"

Kuroko nodded.

"Then avoidance is gonna be pretty hard. Especially with Akashi."

"I figured," he answered.

"He has really effective methods for information gathering," Momoi added. "Knowing him, he probably has connections everywhere. More than even me. You'll have to be super cautious, Tetsu-kun."

"I know. I'm actually surprised that Kise-kun hasn't made a scene yet."

"Well, it's Kise. It's probably coming soon," Nijimura said. He was already slightly irritated by the mention of the peppy blond. "With his barrage of fangirls."

"Yup, that's Ki-chan for you," Momoi said. "Tetsu-kun, I have a question."

Kuroko looked to her.

"Was Aida-san part of the backstabbing group?" If she was, Momoi was gonna plan a very intricate procedure to murder her. But she didn't seem like she was based off of how she reacted when they were hiding in the bushes. Maybe she'd borrow Akashi's scissors.

"No."

Momoi nodded in response. Aida Riko will live to see tomorrow.

"Well, I'll help you out where I can in your game of keep away," Nijimura said.

"Me too!" Momoi said.

Kuroko smiled. "Thank you." He looked at the time on his phone. 10:27. "Well, it's getting late. Momoi-san, we should get you home. Kei-san would probably start worrying if you stayed any later. Nijimura-senpai, do you prefer to stay here and rest or would you like to come with us?"

Momoi mentally gasped melodramatically. _Nijimura-senpai's staying with Tetsu-kun?!_

"I'll go with you," he answered. He didn't want anything to happen to Kuroko due to his lack of presence. In middle school, the younger boy got hit by a car because the driver didn't notice he was there. Kuroko was in the hospital for three days.

"Alright, then."

The trio walked out of the Kuroko residence and saw to it that the manager got home safely. But, on their way to Momoi's house, Nijimura didn't notice the jealous glare from the girl.


	7. Images, Questions, and Trust

**(A/N: Hi, everyone! I'm back with another update! I just wanted to let you guys know that I've finished the recording I made of Kuroko's song. It's currently on youtube. I'll put the link on my bio. ****Anyway, thanks for all the follows, favorites, and reviews, guys! I really appreciate it! :) I hope you enjoy this chapter!)**

Chapter Six

"It's not full yet, but, hopefully, it will be someday."

~Gray Skies~

Back at the Kuroko residence, Kuroko was fixing up the guest room for Nijimura. Meanwhile, Nijimura had opened up his laptop on the living room couch in front of the TV. He plugged in the flash drive and was starting to mix Kuroko's song. Well, Shadow's first song. He put on his headphones and listened to the individual recordings.

_Wow, this is really good,_ he thought. _The lyrics are kinda depressing, but I guess that's expected considering what he's gone through. I can't get over how unexpectedly good his voice is._

A few minutes later, Kuroko came down. "Nijimura-senpai, your room's ready," he said.

The college student slid his headphones off so they rested around his neck. "Ah, thanks. I was just listening to the recordings for your song. How'd you get instrumental people in that fast? It usually takes about a few days before instrumental people can get scheduled for new artists."

"I didn't have instrumental people."

"So Aikawa played for you then?" That was the only plausible answer Nijimura could think of since the music seemed pretty complicated, and Aikawa could play pretty damn well.

"I didn't know Aikawa-san could play music," Kuroko answered.

The former captain gave him a semi-bewildered look. "You played all of this?" It hadn't struck Nijimura once that Kuroko played everything since most new artists had someone play for them even if the artist played.

The shadow nodded.

"Wow, they must really trust you with your music. Usually, Aikawa never lets artists play when they're debuting."

"Oh, I thought that was normal."

"Well, that just means you're one of the best," Nijimura said with a small smile. "Congrats on that."

"Thank you."

"Well, we should get to bed now," Nijimura said. "You have school tomorrow, don't you?"

"Yeah," Kuroko said.

The former captain quickly packed up his laptop then the shadow led his senpai upstairs to the guest room. Before Nijimura entered, he remembered he had something to say to Kuroko.

"Oh, yeah. Kuroko."

The boy looked at him expectantly.

"You know I'm not one for cheesy, cliché words but remember this: Momoi and I, we got your back. The damage done by others like Seirin or even Akashi and them is done so it probably won't be easy for you to fully trust someone for a while, but I hope you'll eventually be able to trust us fully. We won't force you or anything. Just take your time. But know that we're here for you."

Kuroko nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Nijimura-senpai."

Nijimura had a faint blush on his cheeks. "Great, now I'm embarrassed for saying stuff I normally wouldn't say." He smiled and ruffled Kuroko's hair. "Good night."

"Good night."

They went to their respective rooms. While Nijimura went to sleep, Kuroko sat at his desk to come up with a logo. He took out a blank sheet of paper. He didn't have any sort of idea of what to do.

He figured he should do something that had to do with how he was starting with this whole new music thing. He was done with basketball. School basketball, anyway. He loved the sport too much to be able to just quit. He'd always have it as a game he loved. It was a part of him that he just couldn't let go. He might not be able to pick it up right now, but he would someday.

He decided he'd make his logo look somewhat like a basketball to remind him of what he'd been through before he started this jazz with Musical Tendencies. But the logo should reflect his image. He didn't know what to do for his image. _What am I going for?_ he thought.

Kuroko stood up and opened up his closet. He thought he'd look through and see what his image already was. Most of the stuff in there was stuff he'd wear to practice likes hoodies, tee shirts, sneakers, wristbands, and jeans. The more nice-looking clothing articles weren't all that different. The only major difference between his nice clothes and his regular clothes were collars and buttons. He found that he owned a lot more hoodie-styled clothes than he actually thought.

_Hmm… Hoodies…_ The first thing that Kuroko thought of when he thought of hoodies were ballers, which led to basketball. _Well, I guess I could make that my image. It's pretty much already mine besides the fact that I don't play anymore. _He thought of what else hoodies reminded him of. The second most significant thing he thought of was gangsters. Gangsters led to graffiti, from which the shadow got a lightbulb.

It was pretty late by the time Kuroko figured this out so he quickly wrote his ideas on the blank sheet, and he'd finish it tomorrow at school.

~Gray Skies~

The next morning, Kuroko woke up early to make breakfast. He didn't have mad cooking skills like Kagami, but he could at least manage a simple Japanese-style breakfast.

Nijimura woke up when he smelled food. He quickly fixed up the room to its original state to save Kuroko the trouble of cleaning it, grabbed his stuff, and went downstairs. He found the shadow dressed in his Seirin gakuran, setting the table.

"Morning," the former Teiko captain said.

"Good morning, Nijimura-senpai," Kuroko answered. "Food's almost ready. You can sit at the table."

He nodded and sat down.

A few minutes later, Kuroko had the food out. The two conversed as they ate about anything they could other than basketball. Nijimura thought it'd be best if that was left out. They talked about how they both came to be in Musical Tendencies. Takahashi was apparently one of his relatives. Once he found out Nijimura had a talent in music mixing, he immediately talked to Shirona, Nijimura had an interview, and he was in. When they finished, they cleaned up and went out the front door where, unknowing to the college student, the backstabbers had stood just a few days ago.

Before they parted ways, Kuroko said, "I look forward to working with you, senpai."

Nijimura smiled. "Same here."

Then they walked on to their separate ways.

~Gray Skies~

When Kuroko got to school, he succeeded in evading basketball people. He went to class, unnoticed by everyone, as usual. The teacher had yet to arrive so people were at their desks mingling half-heartedly with each other, others were half asleep, a few were even completely asleep, like a certain redhead, and a few were finishing last minute homework—nothing out of the ordinary, which was just perfect for the shadow. No one would pay any mind to him as he completed his logo.

The blue-haired boy took out the sheet he wrote his ideas on and a pencil. The teacher still hadn't come so he wouldn't get in trouble for anything, not that he would in the first place. He drew a circle then started sketching the graffiti letters.

A few minutes later, the bell rang, signaling the start of class, but the teacher still wasn't there. About ten minutes later, Sato walked in with the attendance book and a binder.

"Hello, everyone!" she said. "Unfortunately, your teacher, Hage-sensei, has called in sick at the last minute. He's come down with a cold so he won't be here today. I'm Sato, the school nurse. I'll be subbing for him today."

The class chattered excitedly. They didn't really like Hage-sensei that much (if it wasn't already obvious).

"Well, I'll be taking attendance now."

She called names and got answers from the students, notifying them that they were here. Then she got to Kagami.

"Kagami-kun."

No one answered because the redhead was asleep.

"Kagami-kun?"

Someone next to him tapped him on the shoulder. He shot up. "Huh? What?"

"Well, I can see that you're here," Sato said with a small smile.

"Ah, sorry," he said, seeing they had a sub. He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed, then slouched back into his seat.

"Kuroko-kun," she called.

Kuroko looked up. "Here," he said, quietly. No one heard him, though.

"Sensei, I don't think he's here today," someone said.

"Don't be silly. He's right there," she said, smiling at the shadow.

_Wow, that's new,_ Kuroko thought. He wasn't used to actually having people notice him the first time. But, then again, there were a lot of new things happening for him this week.

The class looked taken aback when they realized Kuroko was right there. Kagami followed the teacher's eyes then found the 'missing' blue-haired boy there, sitting in his seat, looking toward the front. _Kuroko!_ He was a little reluctant, but he still had to apologize.

Sato finished taking attendance then started class.

~Gray Skies~

At Touo, break had just started. Momoi stepped out for a breath of fresh air. Aomine followed

"Oi, Satsuki, where were you yesterday? You just disappeared Tetsu-style," he said.

"Places," she answered, vaguely.

Aomine watched her carefully to see if her expression would give him any hints. "Like what?"

"No comment."

Her ambiguity irritated him so he just decided to spill what he knew. "Like with Tetsu?"

Momoi was a bit surprised he knew, but she made sure she didn't show it.

"Heard you were at Seirin yesterday from Daisuke. They're all in a fuss over there, trying to locate Tetsu then you show up, and Tetsu comes out of nowhere then you disappear with him. We tried going to your house later to ask you about it, but you weren't there. And it was almost 9:00. You're usually home by then, and your dad didn't seem surprised at all when he'd normally be freaking out. What's happening?"

The manager said nothing.

"Satsuki, are you gonna answer me or not?"

She hesitated before saying, "Sorry, Dai-chan. I can't answer you right now." She felt really guilty about hiding things from him, but she had to. For Kuroko. At least until he debuted. Then she could tell him since it'd already be known that she was Shadow's manager.

"Why not?" he demanded.

"Reasons."

"Satsuki, please?"

It was rare for even Momoi to see The Great Aomine Daiki beg, but she couldn't say. "I'm sorry, Dai-chan. I'l tell you when the time comes. I promise."

"When will that be?"

"I don't know yet, but I promise I will," she said, looking him straight in the eyes.

Aomine was pretty impatient, but he knew she was very trustworthy when it came to promises, and that she'd definitely go through with it.

"Fine. Do what you want," he said, giving in. He messed up her hair just for the sake of it. "But I'm warning you now. Be careful. Akashi's onto you. Midorima and Takao saw you in a car with someone and assumed Kuroko was with you based on what the heard from Shin. I'm pretty sure Akashi knows since it's Midorima we're talking about. Akashi'll see it as an act of defiance since we were ordered to spill anything and everything we possibly could about Tetsu."

She nodded. "I'll speak with Akashi-kun when the time comes."

"Will you be okay?" Aomine asked, eyes focusing on her. He was seriously worried about his childhood friend. He didn't know what Akashi might do. He could be pretty unpredictable at times. "Should I come with?"

The manager smiled at the sentiment. "Thanks, but I'll be okay." She found it amusing how Aomine usually acted like he didn't care but occasionally let on that he did. In a way, he was a tsundere.

~Gray Skies~

At Seirin, Kagami attempted to catch Kuroko, but he managed to evade again. He stalked out of the classroom, semi-disappointed.

Well, Kuroko was actually called by Sato to discuss business for later. They decided they'd drop by Touo after school ended to pick up Momoi.

Before break ended, Kuroko texted Momoi to let her know the plan for later.

'Hello, Momoi-san. Sato-sensei said we'd pick you up from school after it ends. Is that fine with you?'

'Of course! :D'

'You have practice, right?'

'Actually, we don't. Coach gave us a day off.'

'That works out then. See you later.'

'See you!'

~Gray Skies~

After school was dismissed, Kuroko went to the infirmary. Sato was still working on a few papers so she told Kuroko to come back in about thirty minutes.

The blue-haired boy decided he'd just chill in the music room until it was time to go. He made his way there. He was hoping no one was in there, and, thankfully, there wasn't. The music room was pretty far from the infirmary, and Kuroko hadn't run into any basketball club members yet so he was thinking they gave up on looking for him already, therefore making him safe, but he closed the door just in case.

He sat at the piano and played. First he played a classical song then moved on to pop then some ragtime then played an anime song that got stuck in his head earlier (the Sword Art Online opening, Crossing Fields). He had so much fun playing that anime song he played a bunch more like Believe in Myself from Fairy Tail, Guren no Yumiya from Shingeki no Kyojin, and Unravel from Tokyo Ghoul. No one knew he was an otaku, but it was because no one ever asked.

As he was playing, the sound of the piano drifted out into the halls, and, like any good otaku would be able to do, midorima Shin recognized the song the second he heard it. He followed the sound of anime music to the music room to find out who was playing.

When the door to the music room began to open, Kuroko quit playing, activated his misdirection, and hid under the piano.

"Hello?" Shin called. He walked inside but saw no one. "Is anyone here?"

He thought it was pretty weird that just a second ago beautiful music resounded from in here then it suddenly stopped and no one was in there. He searched the room to see if the person and just hid, but he found no one. Soon enough, he left.

_Am I just hearing things?_ he thought.

He shrugged it off, guessing it was just someone's phone.

_That was close,_ Kuroko thought, getting out from under the piano. It was about time to meet up with Sato so he went on his way to the infirmary.

~Gray Skies~

On Shin's way to practice, his phone suddenly rang. "ONE PUUUUUUUNCH!"

"Hello? Nii-san?" he answered.

"Shin, look to the side."

He looked to the side toward the school gate where people were making a committee. And, to his surprise, the commotion was Aomine, Kise, Midorima, and Takao. Girls were crowding around them since the Miracles' younger brothers were actually quite popular around campus and they were intrigued by the older brothers and because of Kise. Shin hung up then quickly walked over to the non-Seirin students.

"Nii-san? Senpais? Why are you guys here?" he asked.

"We need to talk to your coach," Midorima answered, stiffly.

"Aida-san, was it?" Kise said, giving a small laugh after managing to get away from Seirin's female idol-loving population. He really needed to get these girls away from him. It was bad enough at Kaijo. The remaining girls at the scene were staring at the group like, _IKEMENS!_

"Have you found Tetsu yet?" Aomine said, eagerly.

"No such luck, Aomine-senpai," the younger Midorima answered. "For now, I guess I'll bring you guys to the gym so we don't attract so much attention," he said, eyeing the crowd. And so they started walking to the basketball gym, Shin leading.

"You know, if he's still around, I could probably help you look," Takao offered.

"That'd be awesome, Takao-san, but I don't know if he's still around."

"I'll keep an eye out while we're here just in case."

"Did you have any sign of him at all?" Aomine asked.

"Kagami-senpai saw him in class, but Kuroko-senpai escaped before Kagami-senpai could talk to him."

"Well, it's obvious that Kurokocchi would avoid Kagamicchi after what he did," Kise pointed out. "If someone hurt me that bad, I don't think I'd talk to them for the rest of my life."

"Exactly. Then how did Kuroko manage to forgive us and even bear to talk to us after what happened in our third year at Teiko?" Midorima said. He was done playing tsundere. The fact that he wasn't denying that he cared just showed how serious this situation had gotten already. "I don't know exactly what we did, but, from what the chihuahua said and what's happening now, it had to have been about as bad as this situation with Seirin. Kuroko leaving the basketball club, him going into hiding, refusing to talk to anyone—the results are the same. We need to fix this."

"But how?" Kise said.

"Yeah, how _are_ we gonna fix this?" Aomine said. "Get Tetsu back on Seirin? I doubt he'd want to do that now. He never even came back to Teiko's team when he left. He didn't even go to the graduation ceremony. Do you really think he'd go back?"

Listening to the Miracles' conversation caused two reactions: a sad, despairing one from Shin and an awkward, I-know-I-should-be-doing-something-to-help-but-I-don't-know-what one from Takao, who felt like he was giving off the 'outsider' vibe. Both were already in shock that Midorima wasn't being a tsundere right now.

"Honestly, I don't know. I don't know how we'll fix this, but we need to," Midorima said.

By the time they came to the conclusion to fix things somehow, they were at the gym. Shin opened the door, revealing the Seirin members warming up. the Miracles barged in to interrogate them.

"Yo, Seirin! Where's Aida-san?!" Aomine yelled.

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko saw the crowds of people by the school gate along with the hints of green, yellow, and blue through the windows on the way to Sato's office. _This can't be good,_ he thought. He rushed to the infirmary, hoping Sato would be done by now.

When he got there, she had a stack of papers with her and was locking up. "Kuroko-kun, just in time. I just have to bring this to the office then we can go pick up Momoi-chan."

"Shall I take those for you?" Kuroko asked, pointing at the heavy-looking stack she was carrying.

"That'd be great. Thanks," she said with a grin.

They walked to the office, turned the papers in, then were on their way to Touo.

~Gray Skies~

When Riko finally got to the gym, she saw the huge disruption known as Aomine, Kise, and Midorima. Takao was okay. He wasn't being as much of a disruption.

She blew her whistle to get the attention of the players. "Okay, what's going on here?!" she yelled. "Why are you four here?"

"To interrogate you guys about Kurokocchi!" Kise yelled, pointing accusingly.

"Nii-san, don't point. That's rude," Ryou scolded, but he was ignored.

"Well, you'll have to wait. Practice comes first, and you guys _did_ come unannounced," she answered sternly.

"It can't be helped. We'll wait," Midorima answered.

"Then we'll join in on your practice," Aomine said. "Let The Great Aomine Daiki teach you the ways of balling!" he said with a cocky grin.

"Nii-san! You can't just barge in on our practice like that! We're on opposing teams!" Daisuke said.

Riko thought for a minute. "It's fine," she said. This would be a great time to analyze them in depth.

"Hehe, now's the time for me to show Bakagami how to get his ass handed to him!" the tanned player yelled.

"Is that a challenge?" Kagami said, stepping up with a grin.

"Hell, yeah! For Tetsu!"

Aomine threw his jacket to the floor then ran off with Kagami for a one-on-one. The rest knew it was futile to try and get their attention when they entered that mode so they ignored them for now.

"What about you three?" Riko asked. "Joining in or nah? It's up to you."

"I'm in!" Kise yelled.

Ryou groaned with contempt.

"Maybe in a little," Takao said, grinning. "I need to talk to Shin-chan first." A serious expression overcame the hawk-eyed boy's face.

Riko nodded. "Feel free to join in if you feel like it." Then she walked off to train the rest.

"Shin-chan," Takao said.

"Hm?"

"Just how bad is the situation with Kuroko? I know it has to be bad since you're not even being tsundere."

Midorima sighed. "It's bad," he said since he couldn't think of any other adjectives to describe it at the moment. He couldn't hide this from Takao forever so he decided to just tell him. "Akashi's been pretty agitated about what happened since Kuroko went missing. He isn't answering any calls or texts, and we can't find him anywhere. We've checked all the places he might be like Maji's, the convenience store by Teiko, the bookstore, the arcade, and even his house. He's never there. It's only been a few days, but usually he answers his phone or we see him around, which just goes to show how weird this is. His disappearance is affecting everyone, and I'm sure that the impact it will have on InterHigh and the Winter Cup is going to be bad," Midorima explained. "Akashi's already resorted to using his connections to try to find him, which is never good."

"Oh, yeah," Takao interrupted. "He called me."

"Akashi did?" This was news to the carrot.

"Yeah, last night. I thought you gave my number to him at first, but he said you didn't. He asked for the license plate of the car we saw Momoi-san in."

The shooting guard's eyes widened. "That's not good. He's using his government connections now."

_Wow, this is worse than I originally thought,_ Takao thought.

"There's really nothing we can do when Akashi gets like this since he has connections everywhere. Takao, do you know why we came here today?"

"To ask about Kuroko, right?"

"Yes, on Akashi's orders, but also for ourselves. We want to know what actually happened, fill in the missing pieces of what happened in Teiko, and find out how to fix things, like we said earlier. That's the only thing I can actually agree on with those two idiots."

Takao smiled at that comment.

"The more we know, the more we can increase our chances of finding Kuroko." Determination was evident in his eyes.

This is the first time Takao's seen Midorima be so straightforward with his words.

"Midorimacchiiiiiiiiiiii! Aominecchi and Ryoucchi are ignoring meeeeeeeee!" Kise whined.

Midorima sighed. "Well, should we join?"

"Yeah, it looks like fun!" Takao said.

"How is this chaos 'fun'?" he said, pushing up his glasses.

"Because it is! The more the merrier!"

The carrot let out a small smile then the two Shutoku players took off their movement-restricting jackets and joined the starting three-on-three game.

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko, Momoi, and Sato walked into room 317 where Aikawa was waiting.

"Welcome, Team Shadow!" he said with a grin. "Shadow-kun, have you thought about your logo and/or album cover?"

"I have," Kuroko answered. He took the paper he drew the logo on out of his bag. The logo was a circle with graffiti letters spelling 'SHADOW' on it. "Here's the logo," he said, laying it out on the table.

"Very nice," Aikawa said.

"Ooooo! It looks so cool, Tetsu-kun!" Momoi said.

"Thank you," the phantom answered.

"Did you draw it yourself?"

He nodded.

"He was working on it during class," Sato said. "It isn't good to ignore your schoolwork, Kuroko-kun, but I do agree that it looks very nice."

Momoi giggled. She examined the logo closer. "It kinda looks like a basketball."

"I was aiming for that. It's sort of so I don't forget my roots or how I started here," the blue-haired boy said.

"Good idea," Aikawa said. "It's common in showbiz that people develop an ego and forget what they used to be. That's a great way of reminding yourself," he said with a smile. "I assume this is to go along with your image.

"Yes," he answered.

"Alright, then. You're going with the gangster theme?"

"Well, not really gangster," Kuroko said. "I was looking through my stuff last night to get an idea. I realized that a lot of my stuff related to basketball and that a lot of my clothing articles had hoods. Hoods made me think of the graffiti idea. So I guess it's not really 'gangster' but just hooded fashion sense. If that makes sense?"

"Basically an artistic baller with fashion sense?" Momoi said.

"Something like that."

"I see," Aikawa said.

"I think that image fits you," Sato said. "And it's realistic since you based it off of what your image pretty much is right now. You're basically being yourself both onstage and off."

"Alright, I approve of the logo and your image. It suits you well," Aikawa said with a grin. "What did you have in mind for the album?"

"A gray sky on the verge of raining. Like the song," Kuroko answered. "I didn't really have a complete idea of what it should look like, but the gray sky was for sure."

"Okay, that's fine. We can come up wit that."

"What about a gray scale picture?" Sato said. "That would fit in with your motif."

"Yeah, that'd be cool," Momoi said.

"That's a good idea. Let's do it," the blue-haired boy answered with a smile.

"Kuroko-kun, what did you have in mind when you wrote Gray Skies?" Aikawa asked.

Momoi saw the look of sadness flash across his eyes and disappear as fast as it appeared.

"A past experience," the shadow answered.

The room was dead silent. Aikawa knew he should be cautions about this topic since the lyrics to the song were pretty sad. "What did the scene look like?"

"The skies were gray, as I'm sure you've figured out already, I was alone, and I was later left walking home in the rain."

The pink-haired manager remembered the scene of him singing alone at the park before Aikawa came. She really wanted to say more about it, but she couldn't hint that her, the rest of Seirin, and the Generation of Miracles had stalked him.

Aikawa got a feeling this was recent, but he didn't want to pry. "I see." It was hard to stay upbeat in the suddenly heavy atmosphere. "Then how about we make the album cover a person standing alone on a street in gray scale? A bit of editing and we'll have those gray skies in. That sound good?"

"Yeah," Kuroko answered.

"Great. We'll have to do the photo shoot as soon as possible in order to make the deadline Shirona-san set for your debut. Momoi-chan, Miyako, I trust you'll handle that?"

"We're on it," Sato answered. She took out her phone and dialed a number as fast as lightning. "Momoi-chan, I'm calling the photographers right now. I'll explain what's happening then I'll pass the phone to you, alright?"

She nodded, her heart racing a bit. _I'm actually talking to a professional photographer!_

While they took care of the photo shoot scheduling, Aikawa decided to tell Kuroko about the music video. "Kuroko-kun, before your debut, we'll have to release a music video for a bit of advertisement. Just a preview, though. It'll also include a short interview to let viewers know who you are. Is it alright for us to reenact that scene you described or is that a bit much?"

"That's fine," he answered. "But will my face have to be seen in the video?"

"You'd like to stay anonymous?"

"If possible, yes."

"I suppose you could. If you'd like, you could wear a mask. Or we could do a voiceover."

"Let's do the voiceover," the shadow said.

"Alright. Then for concerts you'll use a mask?"

"Yes."

"Okay. We don't have to get your mask yet, but do you have some idea of what you want for it?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I have a friend that makes masks. I'll give you his card later, and we can arrange to have your mask made. It'll take around a week."

"Sounds good."

"Awesome. We'll have to do some major advertisement starting now so we'll have the logo scanned and sent to the people who make the fliers. I've already made arrangements for you to meet them so we'll be going there as soon as they're done with scheduling the photo shoot. They'll scan it over there."

"Alright."

"We'll also put the logo up on our website along with a few articles about you, how you came to this agency, and your musical talent. There needs to be a few pictures on there, but we can put those up after the photo shoot. The preview video should at least by out by tomorrow, though. We'll start filming today after meeting the flier people."

Kuroko nodded.

The producer realized something. "Oh, actually, we'll need to have your mask by the time we do the photo shoot."

The shadow thought for a moment. "I could just wear something with a hood that covers my face during the shoot."

"That could work," Aikawa said, nodding. "Let's do that then." He sighed. "Well, that was a mouthful," he admitted. "Busy week, right?"

"Yup. But I'm sure the results will be worthwhile."

"Definitely. You and Momoi-chan have been working pretty hard. It'll pay off for sure," he said with a smile.

By then, Momoi and Sato were done.

"Alright, so the photo shoot will be on Thursday at 5:30," Sato announced.

"Great. So we'll be right on schedule for Shadow's debut on Friday," Aikawa said, grinning. "Kuroko-kun's decided to stay anonymous so during pictures he'll be wearing a hood that covers his face."

"It'll be like a mystery!" Momoi said.

"The mystery effect might actually cause Kuroko-kun to get more hype with the media," Sato pointed out.

"We could also put in ads and stuff on TV," Aikawa added.

"Wouldn't that cost a lot, though?" Kuroko asked.

"It's something we at Musical Tendencies are willing to invest in to get you started. I don't think I told you, but you do have a fund in our budget now."

"I see."

"Well, now that that's settled, let's go meet the advertisement division."

The four filed out of the room with Aikawa leading the way to the ad people.

~Gray Skies~

After Seirin's practice ended, Aomine, Kise, and Midorima (Takao was just there to support Midorima) were finally about to get their answers. Well, some. Not all since some Seirin members didn't even know the full story. Riko called them into Seirin's athletic office since none of the other sports staff was there and she had special access to it even though she was a student. (Haha, perks of being a coach.)

"Have a seat," she said. She sat behind the desk and had the Miracles plus Takao sit across from her. "What did you guys need to ask me?"

"Where's Kurokocchi?" Kise asked.

Aomine smacked him. "Idiot! If they knew, we would've heard from our brothers already!"

Riko sighed. "He's right. We have no idea where he is. Kagami saw him earlier, but Kuroko slipped away. That's about all we can tell you. We've looked for him for the past few days. I haven't seen him once since that time at the park."

The two Miracle idiots looked stumped.

"Aida-san, what can you tell us about what happened at Teiko?" Midorima asked. "We really don't know anything. The only one of the Miracles that would know something about it would be Akashi, but he isn't disclosing any information to us."

"I'm just gonna give you the same answer as Furihata did to Akashi. It's not my story to tell."

"I'll tell you this now. Akashi's gotten serious about investigating Kuroko's whereabouts. He's using all his connections now."

"No kidding there," Takao added. "He called me when I never gave him my number. Shin-chan didn't give it to him."

"It really wouldn't be surprising if Akashi had connections to the higher ups of Seirin, but things might get messy. Is there really nothing you can tell us?"

The female coach thought about it for a moment. _These guys really are desperate. I guess one little clue would be okay._ "I'm only saying one thing. It had to do with the Meiko match."

_The Meiko match?_ they thought.

"That's all I can tell you guys about Kuroko right now. If we find out any more, we'll let you know."

The three Miracles stood up and bowed. "Thank you, Aida-san."

"No prob. You guys did go out of your way to come here."

The four filed out of the Seirin athletic office, met up with Daisuke, Ryou, and Shin, then went home with the Miracles pondering about the Meiko match.

~Gray Skies~

Nijimura took off his headphones after listening over the song once more and being fully content with it. "Yo, Takashi, I'm done." He passed the headphones to him so he could hear it.

The brunette put them on. "The balance of the bass is pretty good. I have nothing I wanna change about this," he said with a grin.

"Whooooo!"

"See, Shuzo? I told you you had a knack for this."

The former captain answered with a cheeky grin and a victory sign.

"Did you already put the completed version on the flash drive?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, good. Go take it up to Aikawa. They're currently filming for the PV. You know where to go, right?"

"Yeah," Nijimura said, taking the flash drive out of his computer. "Room 236, right?"

"Yep."

"Kay. I be goin' now."

"Don't die."

Nijimura marched out of the room and to the filming department. When he entered, he found Momoi and Sato standing to the side while the crew was filming Aikawa and someone wearing a black hooded coat. The music mixer couldn't see who it was due to the hood. At first he was a bit puzzled since he thought they were supposed to be filming Kuroko, but when he got close enough to hear the hooded stranger's voice, he realized it _was_ Kuroko. He walked up behind Momoi and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Ah, Nijimura-senpai!" she whispered. They couldn't really talk since they were filming.

"Sup, Momoi," he whispered back. "I just finished mixing the song." He handed it to her. "Here."

"Ah, okay. Thanks. I'll give it to Aikawa-san as soon as they finish the PV interview."

"That," he gestured toward Kuroko, "really surprised me when I walked in. Is he planning to stay anonymous for his whole singing career?"

"I think so."

"He's gonna be using a hood the whole time?"

"He's gonna alternate with a mask at times."

"I see. That should be interesting."

"And cut!" the director yelled. "Alright, that's a wrap for today!" he announced. "Great job, everyone!"

"They already finished shooting for the PV?" Nijimura asked. _That was quick!_

"No, we only did the voiceover and the interview. We're doing the rest of it tomorrow along with the music video."

"Ah, okay." When Aikawa and Kuroko joined them afterwards, Nijimura gave the producer the flash drive. "Just finished with the song. Tanaka-san needs it too, right?" Tanaka Kenta was the director.

"Yeah, I'll have him copy it to his computer later. Thanks, Nijimura-kun."

"No prob."

Aikawa turned to the rest. "Well, tomorrow, we'll be shooting the MV. We'll meet in our usual room at 3:30 to discuss other things before we come here for filming at 4:00, alright?"

They nodded.

"And here's my friend's business card for your mask," he said, handing it to Kuroko.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome."

"I'll give you two rides tomorrow," Sato said, addressing Momoi and Kuroko.

"Thank you," they said.

"Sorry for the trouble," Kuroko added.

"It's no trouble at all!" she denied. "We're coming from the same place anyway, and Momoi-chan's school is on the way."

"We'll see you tomorrow then!" Aikawa said.

"Bye!" Sato said with a wave.

Kuroko, Momoi, and Nijimura walked out of the filming room, and were on their way home. The two second-years said goodbye to their senpai when they got to where they split ways then walked home.

~Gray Skies~

Kagami had stopped by Maji Burger after practice for dinner since he was too lazy to cook. He sat down in his usual spot with a tray piled with cheeseburgers. He ate in silence and was about halfway through the mountain when his phone rang. The redhead checked the caller ID, which read 'Himuro Tatsuya.'

He flipped his phone open and answered. "Yo, Tatsuya."

"What's up, Taiga?" his brother asked.

"Eating dinner at Maji's."

"I see."

"You?"

"Makin dinner." He paused. "Taiga, can I ask you something?"

"You just did, but I guess you can. Nothing's stopping you."

At the Yosen dorm, Himuro glanced toward Muraskaibara watching TV—without snacks. "How are things at Seirin? I heard from Atsushi that Kuroko was missing."

Kagami choked on his burger. He had a coughing fit.

"Taiga, are you alright?"

He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm good."

The Yosen player wondered if he should've kept his mouth shut, but something was obviously wrong.

"Is that all you've heard?"

"Yeah," he said, cautiously. He knew Kagami was hiding something. He decided he wouldn't ask.

"We haven't been able to find him. I saw him in class, but he disappeared on me."

_Why is Kuroko avoiding him?_ Himuro thought. "I see. Are you guys doing okay? The basketball team, I mean."

"I guess. Why?"

"Atsushi's really affected by this. He's watching TV _without snacks._

"Whoa, that's a whole new level even for Murasakibara."

"Right? It's depressing."

"Muro-chin, is dinner ready yet?" Murasakibara asked from the couch of their room.

Himuro put his hand ver the mic. "Almost. Just wait a bit, okay, Atsushi?"

"Kay."

"Taiga, I have to go. Let me know anything you hear about Kuroko, okay?"

Kagami grunted in response.

"Alright. See ya, Taiga."

"See ya." And Kagami hung up.

While Himuro finished up dinner, he had a couple questions stuck in his head.

Why did Kuroko disappear? Just what happened?

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko walked Momoi home. They stopped in front of the Momoi residence's gate.

"Momoi-san."

"Yes?"

"Nijimura-senpai told me this last night after we dropped you off. He said that you and he had my back and that I'd be damaged after what happened at both Teiko and Seirin. It won't be easy for me to trust people anymore, but I'll try to fully trust you two."

Momoi was moved by his words. She was tearing up. "Tetsu-kun…"

"It's not full yet, but, hopefully, it will be someday," he said with a smile.

Momoi stared at him, awestruck. That was the brightest he's seen him smile since the incident last week.

A puzzled look came across his face. "Momoi-san? Is there something on my face?"

"Ah, no! There's nothing. It's nothing… Haha…" She scratched the back of her head sheepishly._ Was I staring for that long?_ "And I thought we were past the 'Momoi-san' stage!" she pouted, arms crossed.

"Ah, sorry. Satsuki-chan. Better?"

"Infinitely," she said with a grin. "And Nijimura-senpai's right. We _do_ have your back." She held out a fist. "We're in this together."

At first, Kuroko didn't respond. He just stared blankly at the fist in front of him.

Momoi internally panicked. _The gesture! Maybe I shouldn't have done it. Was it too soon?_

But her worries were soothed when Kuroko smiled. "Yeah." He tapped his fist against hers.

She entered the gate with a newfound energy. "Good night, Tetsu-kun!"

"Night," he said with a wave.

~Gray Skies~

A certain redhead with heterochromatic eyes stared at his computer with an aggravated expression. He was unable to find anything about his missing friend. He couldn't contact him or anything either. Akashi might just show up at Seirin soon. He'd already sent three of his minions there, but they'd found out nothing he didn't already know other than the hint of the Meiko match.

But now Akashi knew what had caused Kuroko to disappear on them. All that was left now was to find him.

_Where are you, Tetsuya?_


End file.
